Original meaning: tattoo the face for a crime committed
Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 黑 represents the sound. Originally written as 黑, which depicts a person whose face has been tattooed.
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mok | C.mˤək | ink |
說文解字
《說文》：“墨，書墨也。从土，从黑，黑亦聲。”
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)
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Sound (1)
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | syuwX | s-tuʔ | keep, guard |
| syuwH | s.tuʔ-s | territory in somebody's guard, fief |
說文解字
《說文》：“守，守官也。从宀，从寸。寺府之事者。从寸，寸，法度也。”
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)
Original meaning: city
Depicts defending city walls (丁) with an axe (戌). 丁 also represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "city", now written as 城. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Depicts city walls.
Change in sound
Change in form
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | dzyeng | [d]eŋ | to become (v.i.) |
| dzyeng | m-[d]eŋ | to complete (tr. v) |
說文解字
《說文》：“成，就也。从戊，丁聲。，古文成从午。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.963-964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)
Simplified
Original meaning: compass; a kind of drawing tool
Simplified form of 規. Depicts a kind of drawing tool for drawing circles with. The 见 (see) component was later added to suggest watching something being drawn. Based on the original meaning "compass; a kind of drawing tool", now written as 椝. The meaning has shifted over time and now means "rules".
Components
Component uses
Sound (0 of 1 verified)
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫Wenlin Dictionaries
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
Traditional
Original meaning: compass; a kind of drawing tool
Depicts a kind of drawing tool for drawing circles with. The 見 (see) component was later added to suggest watching something being drawn. Based on the original meaning "compass; a kind of drawing tool", now written as 槼. The meaning has shifted over time and now means "rules".
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Sound (0 of 1 verified)
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | kjwie | kʷe | compass, circle |
說文解字
《說文》：“規，有法度也。从夫，从見。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫Wenlin Dictionaries
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)