qī​wān​bā​guǎi

convoluted

seven

Original meaning: cut

Depicts two lines crossing. Based on the original meaning "cut", now written as . The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Qin 221-206 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
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttshit[tsʰ]i[t] seven

說文解字

《說文》:“七,陽之正也。从一,微陰从中衺出也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.951-952
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

wān bend Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Simplified component
also

Shorthand for the phonetic component in the traditional character .

Meaning component
gōng bow

Component uses

Sound (1)

Sources

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

eight

Original meaning: separate

Pictograph of two lines facing away from each other. The current meaning "eight" is a phonetic loan. The original meaning "separate" is now written as .

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (7 of 8 verified)

Sound (3 of 4 verified)

Distinguishing (4)

Meaning (1 of 2 verified)

Unknown (1 of 2 verified)

Simplified (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpeatpˤret eight

說文解字

《說文》:“八,別也。象分別相背之形。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

guǎi kidnap

To take another  by force 

Components

Meaning component
shou, shǒu hand
Meaning component
lìng (bones), another

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangɡʷroːlʔ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

wān bend Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
luán tie together
Meaning component
gōng bow

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangqroːn
Unicodequan

說文解字

《說文》:“彎,持弓關矢也。从弓,聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica