回力镖
huí​lì​biāo

boomerang

回 huí return Simplified

Depicts water rotating around in a circle.

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 Early Western Zhou ~1000 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 6 verified)

徊蛔洄茴迴逥

Meaning (2 of 4 verified)

徊洄迴逥

Iconic (3)

没亘沒

Simplified (1)

没

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthwoj[ɢ]ʷˤəj go around

說文解字

《說文》：“回，轉也。从囗，中象回轉形。囘，古文。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.515-516
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

力 lì, li power

Pictograph of a plow, which requires strength to operate.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (24 of 47 verified)

动加务办功势男助劳努勇劲励勃劝勤幼劫勉勋勘募劾饬夯勖劭劬勐劢辦飭勞劦勢務勛勦勸勵劼劵勝勁勈動勳

Sound (4 of 9 verified)

历勒励劣肋仂阞勵艻

Simplified (3 of 5 verified)

边伤穷胁虏

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartlikk.rək strength

說文解字

《說文》：“力，筋也。象人筋之形。治功曰力，能圉大災。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.918-919
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

镖 biāo dart Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 票 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鏢.

Components

钅
钅 Meaning component
jīn metal

钅 is a component form of 金.

票
票 Sound component
piào slip of paper or bamboo

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

迴 huí revolve Traditional

Variant of 回.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk
回
回 SoundMeaning component
huí return

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthwoj[ɢ]ʷˤəj go around

Sources

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

鏢 dart Traditional

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

Components

釒
釒 Meaning component
jīn metal

釒 is a component form of 金.

票
票 Sound component
piào slip of paper or bamboo

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangpew
pʰew

說文解字

刀削末銅也。从金㶾聲。

Sources

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