jealous

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

Components

Meaning component
nǚ, nü woman
Sound component
hù, hu door

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttuHtˤak-sjealous
Zhengzhangtqaːs
Unicode

說文解字

婦妒夫也。从女戶聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

xián, xiàn virtuous Simplified

Components

Unknown component
yòu again
Meaning component
bèi sea shell

money

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

jealousy

An envious  woman  also provides the pronunciation

Components

Meaning component
nǚ, nü woman
SoundMeaning component
illness

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangzids
zid

Sources

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

néng to be able

Original meaning: bear

Pictograph of a bear. Based on the original meaning "bear". The meaning of this character has shifted over time to mean "strong" and "ability, power". Original form of .

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (2)

Sound (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartnojnˤə a kind of bear
nongnˤə(ŋ) a kind of bear
nongnˤə(ʔ)
(~ *nˤəŋ)
able; ability

說文解字

《說文》:“能,熊屬,足似鹿。从肉,聲。能獸堅中,故稱賢能,而彊壯稱能傑也。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.752
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

virtuous Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
bèi sea shell
Sound component
to gouge out an eye

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthen[g]ˤi[n]worthy
Zhengzhangɡiːn
Unicodehen

說文解字

多才也。从貝臤聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica