包剪锤
bāo​jiǎn​chuí

rock-paper-scissors

包 bāo wrap

Original meaning: to embrace

Depicts a person (勹) hugging a child (子). Based on the original meaning "to embrace", now written as 抱. The meaning later shifted to "cover" and "wrap".

Components

勹
勹 SoundIconic component
bāo wrap

Depicts a person hugging. 勹 also represents the sound.

子
子 Iconic component
zi, zǐ child

Depicts a child. Modern form looks like 巳.

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

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (6 of 24 verified)

跑炮抱胞饱泡鲍袍咆刨苞雹疱庖孢龅匏狍飑飽砲皰鮑齙

Meaning (0 of 3 verified)

袍苞飑

Iconic (1)

抱

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpaewpˤ<r>u wrap, bundle

說文解字

《說文》：“包，象人褢妊，巳在中，象子未成形也。”

Sources

Character origin
谢明文《释甲骨文中的“抱”——兼论“包”字》
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

剪 jiǎn cut

Phonosemantic compound. 刀 represents the meaning and 前 represents the sound.

Components

前
前 Sound component
qián in front
刀
刀 Meaning component
dāo knife

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

谫

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangʔslenʔ
Unicodetziɛ̌n

說文解字

《說文》：“（剪），齊斷也。从刀，歬聲。”

Sources

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

锤 chuí balance weight on scale Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 垂 represents the sound. Simplified form of 錘.

Components

钅
钅 Meaning component
jīn metal

钅 is a component form of 金.

垂
垂 Sound component
chuí droop

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

錘 chuí balance weight on scale Traditional

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

Components

釒
釒 Meaning component
jīn metal

釒 is a component form of 金.

垂
垂 Sound component
chuí droop

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdrjwem-t<r>ojsledge-hammer
Zhengzhangdol
dols
du

說文解字

八銖也。从金垂聲。

Sources

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