Why does this character mean ‘people’? On the left side of this figure, a person with a large eye is standing, while a large blade pierces their eye from the right. Why is it so terrible? In ancient, the populace existed entirely for their Emperor, not for themselves. They were expected to have no independent vision and no personal thoughts—only complete surrender to their ruler. This grim origin is how the character came to mean ‘people,’ a meaning it still carries today.