尽力而为 Origin — Dong Chinese Dictionary

jǐn, jìn utmost Simplified

Simplified form of 盡. Depicts a hand (又) using a brush to scrub dishes (皿) clean after one is finished eating. The simplified character 尽 was derived from the cursive form of 盡.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

烬荩赆

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

烬

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

lì, li power

Pictograph of a plow, which requires strength to operate.

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC

Seal form — Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Meaning (24 of 47 verified)

动加务办功势男助劳努勇劲励勃劝勤幼劫勉勋勘募劾饬夯勖劭劬勐劢辦飭勞劦勢務勛勦勸勵劼劵勝勁勈動勳 show all 47 show fewer

Sound (4 of 9 verified)

历勒励劣肋仂阞勵艻

Simplified (3 of 5 verified)

边伤穷胁虏

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	lik	k.rək	strength

說文解字

《說文》：“力，筋也。象人筋之形。治功曰力，能圉大災。”

Sources

Character origin: 漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.918-919
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

ér and

Original meaning: beard

Originally a pictograph of a beard, now written as 耏. The current use as a conjunction is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	nyi	nə	and, but

說文解字

《說文》：“而，頰毛也。象毛之形。《周禮》曰：‘作其鱗之而。’”

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)

wèi, wéi do Simplified

Simplified form of 為. Pictograph of a hand (又) guiding an elephant (象) to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".

Components

又 Iconic component

yòu hand

Change in form

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

象 Iconic Simplified component

xiàng elephant

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

伪沩

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.194
Readings & variants: Unicode

jǐn, jìn finish, exhaust Traditional

Depicts a hand (又) using a brush to scrub dishes (皿) clean after one is finished eating.

Components

又 Iconic component

yòu hand

Depicts a hand cleaning dishes.

◎ Iconic component

characterless component

Depicts a brush used to clean dishes.

皿 Iconic component

mǐn, mǐng dish

Depicts a dish for holding food.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

燼儘

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

燼

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	tsinX	tsi[n]ʔ	exhaust (v.)
	dzinX	m-tsi[n]ʔ	exhaust (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“盡，器中空也。从皿，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)

wèi, wéi do Traditional

Originally written as 爲, which depicts a hand (又) guiding an elephant (象) to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".