封建制度
fēng​jiàn​zhì​dù

feudalism

封 fēng letter

Original meaning: create a boundary with plants

Depicts using hands (寸) to cultivate plants (丰). Based on the original meaning "create a boundary with plants". The meaning later shifted to "divide off", "seal", and "letter".

Components

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

Depicts a hand.

丰
丰 SoundIconic component
fēng luxuriant

Depicts a plant growing in the ground.

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

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
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 Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

葑犎幫

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpjowngp(r)oŋ raise a mound; enfeoff

說文解字

《說文》：“封，爵諸矦之土也。从之，从土，从寸，守其制度也。公侯百里，伯七十里，子男五十里。，古文封省。，籀文从。”

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)

建 jiàn build

Depicts a hand setting up a wooden post (聿) at the corner of a building site (𠃊).

Components

聿
聿 Iconic component
yù writing brush

Depicts a hand setting up a post.

𠃊
𠃊 Iconic component
yǐn hidden area

Depicts the corner of a building site. Modern form looks like 廴.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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 Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Xin 9-23 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 8 verified)

健键腱犍毽鍵踺楗

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkjonH[k]a[n]-s set up, establish

說文解字

立朝律也。从聿从廴。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.136
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

制 zhì control

Original meaning: break

Depicts cutting down a tree (未) with a knife (刂). Based on the original meaning "break". The meaning later shifted to "control".

Components

未
未 Iconic component
wèi not yet

Depicts a tree.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 未 than it was in ancient scripts.
刂
刂 Iconic component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.


Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

掣製

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsyejHtet-s cut out, prepare

說文解字

《說文》：“制，裁也。从刀，从未。未，物成，有滋味，可裁斷。一曰止也。，古文制如此。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.357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)

度 dù, du measure

Phonosemantic compound. 又 represents the meaning (using a hand to measure something) and 石 represents the sound.

Components

石
石 Sound component
shí stone
Change in sound
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 石 than it was in ancient scripts.
又
又 Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand measuring something.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 (0 of 3 verified)

渡踱镀

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartduH[d]ˤak-s measure (n.)
dak[d]ˤak measure (v.)

說文解字

法制也。从又，庶省聲。

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)