中枢神经系统
zhōng​shū​shén​jīng​xì​tǒng

central nervous system

中 zhōng, zhòng central

Depicts a flagpole. There is a circle in the middle marking the center of the flagpole. In older forms of the character, the flagpole has streamers at the top and bottom used to show the direction of the wind.

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
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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 Qin 221-206 BC
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

Component uses

Sound (4 of 11 verified)

种冲钟忠仲肿衷忡盅舯沖

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

仲衷

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttrjuwngtruŋ center
trjuwngHtruŋ-s hit the center

說文解字

《說文》：“中，內也。从口、丨，上下通。，古文中。，籀文中。”

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)

枢 shū door hinge Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 区 represents the sound. Simplified form of 樞.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
区
区 Sound component
qū area

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

神 shén, shen spirit

Phonosemantic compound. 礻 represents the meaning and 申 represents the sound.

Components

礻
礻 Meaning component
shì show

礻 is a component form of 示.

申
申 Sound component
shēn to extend

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartzyinCə.li[n] spirit

說文解字

《說文》：“神，天神，引出萬物者也。从示、申。”

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)

经 jīng, jing pass through Simplified

Original meaning: warp thread

Simplified form of 經. Originally written 巠, which depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom. The 纟 (thread) component was added later. Based on the original meaning "warp thread". The meaning later expanded to "pass through", "regulate", and "classic books".

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

𢀖
𢀖 SoundIconicSimplified component
jīng, xíng warp (textile)

Depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom.

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.804
Readings & variants
Unicode

系 xì, xi, jì system

Pictograph of a hand (又) holding a group of threads (糸) that are connected together (系).

Components

又
又 Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 又 than it was in ancient scripts.
糸
糸 Iconic component
mì, sī silk

Depicts a group of threads.


Character Evolution

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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (1 of 3 verified)

繇纛孫

Iconic (2)

縣係

Deleted (1)

县

Sound (1)

係

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthejH[m]-kˤek-s bind (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“系，繫也。从糸，丿聲。，系或从、處。，籀文系从爪、絲。”

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)

统 tǒng connected Simplified

Simplified form of 統. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 充 represents the sound.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

充
充 Sound component
chōng fill

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

樞 shū door hinge Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 區 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
區
區 Sound component
qū area

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartʔuwqˤ(r)oa kind of elm
tsyhut.qʰ(r)opivot
Zhengzhangkʰjo
Unicodechio

說文解字

戶樞也。从木區聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

經 jīng, jing pass through Traditional

Original meaning: warp thread

Originally written 巠, which depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom. The 糹 (thread) component was added later. Based on the original meaning "warp thread". The meaning later expanded to "pass through", "regulate", and "classic books".

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

巠
巠 SoundIconic component
jīng warp (textile)

Depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkengk-lˤeŋ loom; regulate; norm

說文解字

《說文》：“經，織也。从糸，巠聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.804
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

統 tǒng connected Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 充 represents the sound.

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

充
充 Sound component
chōng fill

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰuːŋs
Unicodetòng

說文解字

《說文》：“統，紀也。从糸，充聲。”

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)