Simplified
Original meaning: turn
Depicts a hand (寸) spinning a wheel (叀). Based on the original meaning "turn", now written as 轉. The current meaning is a phonetic loan. The simplified character 专 was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 專.
Components
Depicts a hand.
Depicts harvesting grain (禾) with a blade (刂). Harvest was the main source of profit in agricultural societies.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | lijH | C.ri[t]-s | sharp; profit |
說文解字
《說文》：“利，銛也。从刀；和然後利，从和省。《易》曰：‘利者，義之和也。’”
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)
Original meaning: bent, curved
Phonosemantic compound. 尸 represents the meaning and 句 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bent, curved". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | gjowk | N-kʰ(r)ok | bent, curved |
| gjowk | [g](r)ok | department |
說文解字
《說文》：“局，促也。从口在尺下，復局之。一曰博所以行棊。象形。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.101
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Traditional
Original meaning: turn
Depicts a hand (寸) spinning a wheel (叀). Based on the original meaning "turn", now written as 轉. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | tsywen | ton | exclusively |
說文解字
《說文》：“專，六寸簿也。从寸，叀聲。一曰專，紡專。”
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)