呆若木鸡
dāi​ruò​mù​jī

dumbstruck

呆 dāi dull, stupid

Depicts the mouth (口) being stuck and not moving, like wood (木), representing someone stupid or expressionless.

Components

口
口 Iconic component
kǒu, kou mouth
木
木 Iconic component
mù tree

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtɯː
ŋɯː

Sources

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

若 ruò if

Original meaning: conform, obey

Pictograph of a kneeling person smoothing out their unkempt hair with their hands. Based on the original meaning "conform, obey". The 口 (mouth) component was added later when the character became more abstract.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts unkempt hair.

𠂇
𠂇 Iconic component
zuǒ left hand

Depicts a hand smoothing out the hair.

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth

Character Evolution

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 Spring and Autumn ~500 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 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

Sound (2 of 8 verified)

诺惹匿偌喏锘箬諾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartnyaknak you
nyaknak agree

說文解字

《說文》：“若，擇菜也。从艸、右。右，手也。一曰杜若，香艸。”

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)

木 mù tree

Pictograph of a tree.

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 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
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

Component uses

Meaning (86 of 360 verified)

样机条权格根亲极查李标构案校模树村检概核架困枪楼松板材荣杨床植杰梅桌杜桥横杯梁枝闲柳柔柏械椅梯柱档桃柯桂棉柴柜杆棋朴栏棵框枯柄棍棒寨渠杭栽桶杖棚椎栖株棠桩桓朽榜枕枢榴梭棺栋桐梳杉棕樱梢橡棱枉梗栓桨槽栅梨榻橱杠檐槐椒栈楞枫榆桔椭柿梧槛樵檀橄楷桅橙榄橘榨枷楠桢栩梓杞楔桦枭椰檬榈橇椋槟楣梆樟桧槌榕橹椿棣柠柑杳榭榔栾榘榷椤椽槁枞杈柚柩枸榛樽榉栉梏栎桎楂楹杵樾楫桠杲榫槭橛杼棂枰樯槿臬槎杷柞榧枋桉枥槊枳枇柢桁桡栀槲椴樗榇柘檩蘖枵杓楸楦楝椁榱槔樘桤楮栌杪橥檠槠榍桴柙杌椹檎桷桕桫枘枨棹杩栊栲檫樨柽棰椟椠檗梃橼栳椐柁桄枧榀栝楱檑築柃楗閑樸檯櫞櫸橫槍構桲栴樁槃柵椪榅梟機樺榿棧欒楨榲欞櫛標櫆欄檸楳欖櫱枒棲條櫫柲檮槓檳楛檢桊楙樣櫪梼橈橋樅㓷柤柊槤樆橢槨櫻櫍櫃檻檔槜梣椆棶桿槺檜櫓𬃊權枓櫟梾樹楓杙槳栱極檃橾樞櫚櫥檵棟梔樛梿棻椥楊榮樑槀樓樴

Iconic (31)

本相新果林集某采县宋森析休朱乘呆桑枚巢栗杏桀柰縣尞尌喿桼枼樂椉

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

溧柒

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

沐

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmuwkC.mˤok tree, wood

說文解字

《說文》：“木，冒也，冒地而生。東方之行。从屮，下象其根。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.484
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

鸡 jī chickens Simplified

Simplified from a variant form of the traditional character 雞.

Components

又
又 Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand form of the 奚 component in the traditional character 雞.

鸟
鸟 Meaning component
niǎo bird

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

雞 jī chicken Traditional

Originally was a pictograph of a chicken. Later changed to a phonosemantic compound of 奚 and 隹 (bird).

Components

奚
奚 Sound component
xī where? what? how? why?
隹
隹 Meaning component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkejkˤe fowl, chicken

說文解字

《說文》：“雞，知時畜也。从隹，奚聲。鷄，籀文雞从鳥。”

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)