zhǐ​gù HSK6

focus solely

zhǐ, zhī only

Origin unclear. In simplified Chinese, in addition to the meaning "only", is also used as a measure word. In traditional Chinese this meaning is written as .

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (4 of 9 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangklje
kljeʔ
Unicodejǐɛ

說文解字

《說文》:“只,語已詞也。从口,象氣下引之形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.149-150
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

look back, look after Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Simplified component
è adversity, distress

Shorthand for the component in the traditional character .

Meaning component
page

Depicts a head.

Sources

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

look back, look after Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
employ
Meaning component
(head), page

Depicts a head.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkuH[k]ʷˤaʔ-s
(~ *[k]ʷˤaʔ)
look around

說文解字

《說文》:“顧,還視也。从頁,雇聲。”

Sources

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