剃须膏
tì​xū​gāo

shaving cream

剃 tì shave

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 弟 represents the sound. Simplified form of 薙.

Components

刂
刂 Meaning component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.

弟
弟 Sound component
dì, di younger brother

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰiːls

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

须 xū must Simplified

Original meaning: beard

Pictograph of a person with a bearded face. Simplified form of 須. The meaning "must" is a phonetic loan.

Components

彡
彡 Iconic component
shān, xiǎn hair
页
页 Iconic component
yè page

Depicts a head.

Sources

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

膏 gāo grease, paste

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 高 represents the sound.

Components

高
高 Sound component
gāo high
⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkawCə.kˤaw lard (n.)
kawH[k]ˤaw-s smear with lard (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“膏，肥也。从肉，高聲。”

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)

鬚 beard Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 髟 represents the meaning and 須 represents the sound.

Components

髟
髟 Meaning component
biāo, piào, shān long hair
須
須 SoundIconic component
xū must

Depicts a head with a beard.

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsjuC-[s.n]o beard

Sources

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