折冲樽俎
zhé​chōng​zūn​zǔ

win diplomatically

折 zhé, zhē, shé break off

Depicts a hand (扌) using an axe (斤) to chop something. Older forms of this character depicted an axe chopping a tree into two pieces.

Components

扌
扌 Iconic component
shou, shǒu hand

扌 is a component form of 手.

斤
斤 Iconic component
jīn axe

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 7 verified)

哲誓逝浙蜇踅哳

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdejH[d]ˤet-s solitary standing (sc. tree)
dzyetN-tet bend (v.i.)
tsyettet bend; break (v.t.)

說文解字

《說文》：“折，斷也。从斤斷艸，譚長說。，籀文折，从艸在仌中，仌寒，故折。𣂚，篆文折，从手。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

冲 chōng, chòng flush, wash away Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 冫 represents the meaning and 中 represents the sound. Simplified form of 沖 and 衝.

Components

冫
冫 Simplified component
bīng ice

Simplified from the traditional 氵 (water) component.

中
中 Sound component
zhōng, zhòng central

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

樽 zūn goblet

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
尊
尊 Sound component
zūn respect

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttswon[ts]ˤu[n] wine-cup

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

俎 zǔ chopping board or block

Pictograph of a sacrificial altar for food.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts the legs of the altar.

且
且 Iconic component
qiě moreover

Depicts altar for placing down food.


Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangʔsraʔ
Unicodejriǔ

說文解字

《說文》：“俎，禮俎也。从半肉在且上。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

衝 rush ahead, vigorous Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 行 represents the meaning and 重 represents the sound.

Components

行
行 Meaning component
xíng, háng walk
重
重 Sound component
zhòng, chóng heavy

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyhowngtʰoŋ rush against

說文解字

《說文》：“，通道也。从行，童聲。《春秋傳》曰：‘及以戈擊之。’”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)