刘姥姥进大观园
Liú​lǎo​lao​jìn Dà​guān​yuán

Granny Liu

刘 liú surname Simplified

Original meaning: type of battle axe

Simplified form of 劉. Phonosemantic compound. 卯 represents the sound and 金 and 刂 represent the meaning. Based on the original meaning "battle-axe". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

文
文 Simplified component
wén writing

Shorthand for the left side of the traditional character 劉.

刂
刂 Meaning component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.

Change in meaning
刂 hints at the original meaning of 刘, "type of battle axe", which is no longer the most common meaning of 刘 in modern Mandarin.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

浏

Sources

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

姥 lǎo, mǔ maternal grandmother

An older 老 woman 女; 老 also provides the pronunciation

Components

女
女 Meaning component
nǚ, nü woman
老
老 SoundMeaning component
lǎo old

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangruːʔ
maːʔ
Unicodemǒ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

进 jìn advance Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 井 represents the sound. Simplified form of 進.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

井
井 SoundSimplified component
jǐng well

Simplified from 隹 in the traditional character 進.

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

大 dà, dài big

Depicts an adult man facing forward and standing erect. The meaning later shifted to "big".

Character Evolution

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 Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (9 of 21 verified)

去太奇套尖奈赤契夸奎奢奕叁奘夯奁夼尜奩奓𢧤

Iconic (21)

天因美夫央亦乘衡牵熊夹爽奚鬱粦耎夨叕夾椉業

Sound (6 of 11 verified)

太达夺泰驮耷奪馱忕羍旲

Simplified (4)

类奖奋庆

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

爨䙴

Deleted (1)

业

Remnant (1)

椉

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdaHlˤat-s (MC F!)big
dajHlˤa[t]-s big

說文解字

《說文》：“大，天大、地大、人亦大，故大象人形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.764
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

观 guān observe Simplified

Simplified form of 觀. Phonosemantic compound. 见 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound.

Components

见
见 Meaning component
jiàn, xiàn, jian see
又
又 Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the 雚 component in the traditional character 觀.

Sources

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

园 yuán garden Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 元 represents the sound. Simplified form of 園.

Components

囗
囗 Meaning component
wéi, guó surround
元
元 Sound component
yuán first

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangŋoːn

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

劉 surname Traditional

Original meaning: type of battle axe

Phonosemantic compound. 卯 represents the sound and 金 and 刂 represent the meaning. Based on the original meaning "battle-axe". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

卯
卯 Sound component
mǎo 4th terrestrial branch
Change in sound
金
金 Meaning component
jīn metal
Change in meaning
金 hints at the original meaning of 劉, "type of battle axe", which is no longer the most common meaning of 劉 in modern Mandarin.
刂
刂 Meaning component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.

Change in meaning
刂 hints at the original meaning of 劉, "type of battle axe", which is no longer the most common meaning of 劉 in modern Mandarin.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

瀏

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartljuwmə-ru kill; surname

Sources

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

進 jìn go forward Traditional

辶 represents the meaning and 隹 depicts a bird, which is unable to walk backwards.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

隹
隹 Iconic component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Used here because birds are not able to walk backwards.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsinH[ts][i][n]-s advance (v.)

說文解字

登也。从辵，閵省聲。

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)

觀 guān observe Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 見 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound.

Components

見
見 Meaning component
jiàn, xiàn, jian see
雚
雚 Sound component
guàn, huán heron

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkwanC.qʷˤar look (v.)
kwanHC.qʷˤar-s watchtower
kwanHC.qʷˤar-s 榮觀 imperial palace; walls and watchtowers

說文解字

《說文》：“觀，諦視也。从見，雚聲。，古文觀从囧。”

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)

園 yuán garden Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 袁 represents the sound.

Components

囗
囗 Meaning component
wéi, guó surround
袁
袁 Sound component
yuán robe

Character Evolution

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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthjwonC.ɢʷa[n] garden

說文解字

《說文》：“園，所以樹果也。从囗，袁聲。”

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)