刀锯斧钺
dāo​jù​fǔ​yuè

torture and execution

刀 dāo knife

Pictograph of a knife.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 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 Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (12)

方分解绝初亡勿刃絕叚𢇍刅

Meaning (3 of 5 verified)

切券剪劈㓞

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

召叨忉

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttawC.tˤaw knife

說文解字

《說文》：“刀，兵也。象形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.352
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

锯 jù a saw Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 居 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鋸.

Components

钅
钅 Meaning component
jīn metal

钅 is a component form of 金.

居
居 Sound component
jū live

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

斧 fǔ axe

Phonosemantic compound. 斤 represents the meaning and 父 represents the sound.

Components

斤
斤 Meaning component
jīn axe
父
父 Sound component
fù father

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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-SagartpjuXp(r)aʔaxe
Zhengzhangpaʔ
Unicodebiǒ

說文解字

斫也。从斤父聲。

Sources

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

钺 yuè broad-axe Simplified

Simplified form of 鉞. Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 戉 represents the sound. Originally written as 戉.

Components

钅
钅 Meaning component
jīn metal

钅 is a component form of 金.

戉
戉 SoundIconic component
yuè battle-axe

Depicts a battle axe.

Sources

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

鋸 jù a saw Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 釒 represents the meaning and 居 represents the sound.

Components

釒
釒 Meaning component
jīn metal

釒 is a component form of 金.

居
居 Sound component
jū live

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
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 ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkjoHk(r)a-ssaw (n.)
Zhengzhangkas

說文解字

槍唐也。从金居聲。

Sources

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

鉞 broad-axe Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 釒 represents the meaning and 戉 represents the sound. Originally written as 戉.

Components

釒
釒 Meaning component
jīn metal
戉
戉 SoundIconic component
yuè battle-axe

Depicts a battle axe.

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 ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthjwot[ɢ]ʷat a kind of axe

說文解字

《說文》：“鉞，車鑾聲也。从金，戉聲。《詩》曰：‘鑾聲鉞鉞。’”

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)