Originally depicted two pieces of meat (肉) on a sacrificial altar (且). Based on the original meaning "sacrificial meat". The meaning later shifted to "suitable".
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | ngje | ŋ(r)aj | sacrifice to the deity of the soil (K) |
| ngje | ŋ(r)aj | proper; should |
說文解字
《說文》：“宜，所安也。从宀之下，一之上，多省聲。，古文宜。，亦古文宜。”
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)
Depicts a grain seedling (禾) pulled out (引) of the ground. The meaning later expanded to "bloom", "blossom", "elegant", and "excellent".
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | sjuwH | [s-l]u(ʔ)-s | to flower |
說文解字
《說文》：“秀，上諱。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 李学勤《字源》p.632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)