哈克贝利·芬历险记
Hā​kè​bèi​lì​· Fēn Lì​xiǎn Jì

Huckleberry Finn

哈 hā sound of laughter

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 合 represents the sound.

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
合
合 Sound component
hé to join

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangŋɡuːb

Sources

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

克 kè subdue

Pictograph of a person (人) carrying a heavy weight on their back.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts a heavy load being carried on the back.

人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person

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
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 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
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

氪剋

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkhokkʰˤək carry; able; dominate

說文解字

《說文》：“克，肩也。象屋下刻木之形。，古文克。，亦古文克。”

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)

贝 bèi sea shell Simplified

Simplified form of 貝. Pictograph of a cowrie shell. In ancient China such shells were used as currency.

Component uses

Meaning (22 of 57 verified)

资质费财货贵赛购贸赞贫赖赏贴贡贷贺赔赋赢贤赌贾赐赠账赚贩贬贿贱贮赎赁赃赣贻赓贰赡赈赊赝贲赍赅贽赀赉赒赙赕贳贶赆赇屃

Sound (1 of 6 verified)

败坝狈赘钡呗

Iconic (5)

员负贯贪𭕆

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

琐罂

Remnant (1)

员

Sources

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

利 lì, li benefit

Depicts harvesting grain (禾) with a blade (刂). Harvest was the main source of profit in agricultural societies.

Components

禾
禾 Iconic component
hé grain stalk
刂
刂 Iconic component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 11 verified)

黎莉梨犁俐痢蜊猁脷唎悧

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

悧

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartlijHC.ri[t]-s sharp; profit

說文解字

《說文》：“利，銛也。从刀；和然後利，从和省。《易》曰：‘利者，義之和也。’”

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)

芬 fēn fragrance

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 分 represents the sound.

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

分
分 Sound component
fēn, fèn, fen divide

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 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 Chinese
Zhengzhangpʰɯn
Unicodepiən

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

历 lì history Simplified

Simplified form of 歷. Phonosemantic compound. 厤 represents the meaning and 力 represents the sound.

Components

厂
厂 Simplified component
chǎng cliff, (roof)

Simplified shorthand of the traditional 厤 component.

力
力 Sound component
lì, li power

Component uses

Sound (0 of 7 verified)

雳沥枥呖苈疬坜

Sources

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

险 xiǎn danger, narrow pass Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 阝 represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 險.

Components

阝
阝 Meaning component
fù hill, place

阝 is a component form of 阜.

佥
佥 Sound component
qiān together

Sources

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

记 jì, ji record Simplified

Simplified form of 記. Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

讠
讠 Meaning component
yán speech

讠 is a component form of 言.

己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

貝 bèi sea shell Traditional

Pictograph of a cowrie shell. In ancient China such shells were used as currency.

Character Evolution

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
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (28 of 56 verified)

真责質貢資責貴貼費販賴貧賈賦購貯財贏貨賀賢賜贈貿賄賞貲賚賂貸貽賅賺贄贊賁眞賑贗賬賭賙賽賤贓贖贛賠賒貶貳賃贍𧸇齎𧶠

Iconic (10)

得貪負買貫賓寶賏𧴪㝵

Sound (1 of 5 verified)

贅鋇敗唄狽

Unknown (0 of 1 verified)

瑣

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartpajHpˤa[t]-s cowry shell

說文解字

《說文》：“貝，海介蟲也。居陸名猋，在水名蜬。象形。古者貨貝而寶龜，周而有泉，至秦廢貝行錢。”

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)

歷 lì experience, history Traditional

Original meaning: pass through

Phonosemantic compound. 止 (foot) represents the meaning and 厤 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "pass through". The meaning later expanded to also include "experience" and "history".

Components

厤
厤 Sound component
lì calendar
止
止 Meaning component
zhǐ (foot), stop

Depicts a foot

Change in meaning
止 hints at the original meaning of 歷, "pass through", which is no longer the most common meaning of 歷 in modern Mandarin.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Wu) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

櫪癧靂壢瀝

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartlek[r]ˤek pass by; in turn

說文解字

《說文》：“歷，過也。从止，厤聲。”

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)

險 xiǎn danger, narrow pass Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 阝 represents the meaning and 僉 represents the sound.

Components

阝
阝 Meaning component
fù hill, place

阝 is a component form of 阜.

僉
僉 Sound component
together

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxjaemXqʰr[a]mʔ precipitous, dangerous
xjemXqʰr[a]mʔ precipitous, dangerous

說文解字

阻，難也。从𨸏僉聲。

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)

記 jì, ji record Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

言
言 Meaning component
yán speech
己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 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-SagartkiHC.k(r)ə(ʔ)-s remember; record (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“記，疏也。从言，己聲。”

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)