duì​zhe​hé​shang​mà​zéi​tū

insult indirectly

duì correct Simplified

Original meaning: develop land

Simplified form of . Depicts a hand () holding a farming tool () to develop land (). Based on the original meaning "develop land".

Components

Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the left half of .

Iconic component
cùn, cun (hand), inch

Depicts a hand.

Component uses

Simplified (1)

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.169-171漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

zhe, zháo, zhuó [progress particle] Simplified

Original meaning: chopsticks

Simplified form of . represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "chopsticks", now written as . The modern meanings are phonetic loans.

Components

cao, cǎo grass

Alludes to bamboo chopsticks. and ⺮ (bamboo) were often used interchangeably with each other because of their visual and semantic similarity.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Sound component
zhě one who...

Historical Pronunciations

Middle Chinese
Unicodedjiɑk
djiɑk

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

hé, huo, he harmony

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
Sound component
grain stalk

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Qin 221-206 BC
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-Sagarthwa[ɢ]ˤoj harmonious
hwaH[ɢ]ˤoj-s tune (instruments); respond in singing

說文解字

《說文》:“咊,相譍也。从口,禾聲。”

Sources

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

shàng, shang esteem

Original meaning: high place

Depicts a large room. Based on the original meaning "high place". The meaning later shifted to "esteem".

Components

eight
SoundIconic component
jiōng, jiǒng large room

Depicts a large room.

kǒu, kou mouth

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (14 of 24 verified)

Simplified (1)

Remnant (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzyangH[d]aŋ-s upwards
dzyangH[d]aŋ-s still, yet

說文解字

《說文》:“尚,曾也,庶幾也。从八,向聲。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.81-82漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

scold Simplified

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

Components

Meaning component
xuān, sòng noise

mouth

Sound component
horse

Sources

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

zéi thief Simplified

Original meaning: to destroy

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

Components

SoundRemnant component
rule
Meaning component
spear

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

bald Simplified

Grains of hair  on a person's head 

Components

Meaning component
grain stalk
Meaning component
jǐ, jī small table

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle Chinese
Unicodetuk

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

duì correct Traditional

Original meaning: develop land

Depicts a hand () holding a farming tool () to develop land (). Based on the original meaning "develop land".

Components

Iconic component
zhuó chisel

Depicts a farming tool.

Iconic component
earth
Iconic component
cùn, cun (hand), inch

Depicts a hand.


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 Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttwojH[t]ˤ[u]p-s respond

說文解字

《說文》:“,譍無方也。从丵,从口,从寸。對,或从土。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.169-171漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

zhe, zháo, zhù [progress particle] Traditional

Original meaning: chopsticks

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "chopsticks", now written as . The modern meanings are phonetic loans.

Components

Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

Alludes to bamboo chopsticks. and ⺮ (bamboo) were often used interchangeably with each other because of their visual and semantic similarity.

Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "chopsticks", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.
Sound component
zhě one who...

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttrjoHt<r>ak-s place (n.); visible
drjakm-t<r>ak put on clothes; be attached
trjakt<r>ak to place

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

scold Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
wǎng net

Represents "catching" someone with words.

Sound component
horse

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmaeHC.mˤra-s scold, revile

說文解字

《說文》:“罵,詈也。从网,馬聲。”

Sources

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

zéi thief Traditional

Original meaning: to destroy

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
rule
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Meaning component
spear

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzokk.dzˤək injure; murderer, bandit

說文解字

《說文》:“,敗也。从戈,則聲。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

禿 bald Traditional

Grains of hair  on a person's head 

Components

Meaning component
grain stalk
Meaning component
r, ér child

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartthuwk[tʰ]ˤokbald
Zhengzhangtʰoːɡ

說文解字

無髮也。从人,上象禾粟之形,取其聲。凡禿之屬皆从禿。王育說:蒼頡出見禿人伏禾中,因以制字。未知其審。

Sources

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