Yāng Cái

Central Finance University

yāng beg

Pictograph of a person () with a cangue (torture device for punishing criminals) around his neck. People wearing such devices were not able to reach their mouth with their own hands, and were forced to beg for food.

Components

Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts a cangue (torture device for punishing criminals worn around the neck).

Iconic component
dà, dài big

Here used as a pictograph of a person


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 10 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagart'jangʔaŋ end (v.)
'jangʔaŋ center (n.)

說文解字

《說文》:“央,中央也。从大在冂之內。大,人也。央、旁同意。一曰久也。”

Sources

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

cái wealth Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Components

Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China, shells were used as currency.

Sound component
cái, cai talent

Sources

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

cái wealth Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China, shells were used as currency.

Sound component
cái, cai talent

Character Evolution

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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzoj[dz]ˤə wealth

說文解字

《說文》:“財,人所寶也。从貝,才聲。”

Sources

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