Dà​hán Háng​kōng

Korean Air

dà, dài big

Depicts an adult man facing forward and standing erect. The meaning later shifted to "big".

Character Evolution

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 Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 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

Meaning (9 of 21 verified)

Sound (6 of 11 verified)

Simplified (4)

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

Deleted (1)

Remnant (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdaHlˤat-s (MC F!)big
dajHlˤa[t]-s big

說文解字

《說文》:“大,天大、地大、人亦大,故大象人形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.764
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

hán Korea Simplified

Original meaning: fence surrounding a well

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "fence surrounding a well". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

SoundRemnant component
gàn sunrise
Meaning component
wéi, huí tanned leather

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

井垣也。从韋,取其帀也。幹聲。又國名。

Sources

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

háng sail, ship

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
zhōu boat
Sound component
kàng, gāng, gēng high

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangɡaːŋ
Unicodehɑng

Sources

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

kōng, kòng empty

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
xué, jué cave
Sound component
gōng work

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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 (1 of 6 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkhuwngkʰˤoŋ hollow, empty; hole
khuwngXkʰˤoŋʔ hollow, empty; hole

說文解字

《說文》:“空,竅也。从穴,工聲。”

Sources

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

Korea Traditional

Original meaning: fence surrounding a well

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "fence surrounding a well". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

SoundRemnant component
gàn sunrise
Meaning component
(surround a city), tanned leather
Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "fence surrounding a well", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthan[g]ˤar (state in the Korean peninsula; Three Kingdoms period)

說文解字

《說文》:“,井垣也。从韋,取其帀也,倝聲。”

Sources

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