wéi​zhǔn

serve as standard

wèi, wéi do Simplified

Simplified form of . Pictograph of a hand () guiding an elephant () to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".

Components

Iconic component
yòu hand
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
xiàng elephant

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.194
Readings & variants
Unicode

zhǔn accurate Simplified

Original meaning: water-level

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "water-level", a tool to check the flatness of surfaces. The meaning later shifted to "accurate", "rule", and "approve".

Components

Simplified component
bīng ice

Shorthand for the (water) component in the traditional character .

Simplified component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Shorthand for the (sǔn) component in the traditional character .

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangqʷjinʔ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

wèi, wéi do Traditional

Originally written as , which depicts a hand () guiding an elephant () to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".

Components

Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Iconic component
xiàng elephant
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 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 Early Warring States ~400 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 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 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 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthjweɢʷ(r)aj make, do, act as
hjweHɢʷ(r)aj-s for, because

說文解字

《說文》:“爲,母猴也,其爲禽好爪,爪,母猴象也;下腹爲母猴形。王育曰:‘爪,象形也。’,古文爲,象兩母猴相對形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.194
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

accurate Traditional

Original meaning: water-level

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "water-level", a tool to check the flatness of surfaces. The meaning later shifted to "accurate", "rule", and "approve".

Components

Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

is a component form of .

Sound component
sǔn falcon

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsywinXturʔ water-level

說文解字

《說文》:“準,平也。从水,隼聲。”

Sources

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