不怕贼偷就怕贼惦记
bù​pà​zéi​tōu​jiù​pà​zéi​diàn​jì

being targeted

不 bù, bu no

Original meaning: sepals

Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
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
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 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
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

Sound (3 of 5 verified)

否杯钚罘盃

Simplified (4)

还环怀坏

Meaning (1 of 4 verified)

否歪甭孬

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpjuwpə not
pjuwpə 不律 writing brush (pron. in Wú 吳 ap. Shuōwén; E. Hàn)

說文解字

《說文》：“不，鳥飛上翔不下來也。从一，一猶天也。象形。”

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)

怕 pà to fear

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 白 represents the sound.

Components

忄
忄 Meaning component
xin, xīn heart

忄 is a component form of 心.

白
白 Sound component
bái, bai white
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangpʰraːɡs
pʰraːɡ
Unicodepà

說文解字

《說文》：“怕，無為也。从心，白聲。”

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)

贼 zéi thief Simplified

Original meaning: to destroy

Phonosemantic compound. 戈 represents the meaning and 则 represents the sound. Simplified form of 賊.

Components

则
则 SoundRemnant component
zé rule
戈
戈 Meaning component
gē spear

Sources

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

偷 tōu to steal

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 俞 represents the sound.

Components

亻
亻 Meaning component
rén person

亻 is a component form of 人.

俞
俞 Sound component
yú, shù surname
Change in sound

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartthuwl̥ˤo steal

Sources

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

就 jiù just，then

Original meaning: high place

Phonosemantic compound. 京 represents the meaning and 尤 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "high place". The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "achieve".

Components

京
京 Meaning component
jīng capital city
Change in meaning
京 hints at the original meaning of 就, "high place", which is no longer the most common meaning of 就 in modern Mandarin.
尤
尤 Sound component
yóu especially

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 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 (0 of 3 verified)

鹫僦鷲

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

蹴

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzjuwH[dz]u[k]-s go to

說文解字

《說文》：“就，就高也。从京，从尤。尤，異於凡也。，籀文就。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.454
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

惦 diàn think of

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 店 represents the sound.

Components

忄
忄 Meaning component
xin, xīn heart

忄 is a component form of 心.

店
店 Sound component
diàn shop

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

记 jì, ji record Simplified

Simplified form of 記. Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

讠
讠 Meaning component
yán speech

讠 is a component form of 言.

己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

賊 zéi thief Traditional

Original meaning: to destroy

Phonosemantic compound. 戈 represents the meaning and 則 represents the sound.

Components

則
則 Sound component
zé rule
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 則 than it was in ancient scripts.
戈
戈 Meaning component
gē spear

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzokk.dzˤək injure; murderer, bandit

說文解字

《說文》：“，敗也。从戈，則聲。”

Sources

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

記 jì, ji record Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

言
言 Meaning component
yán speech
己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkiHC.k(r)ə(ʔ)-s remember; record (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“記，疏也。从言，己聲。”

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)