屋漏更遭连夜雨
wū​lòu​gèng​zāo​lián​yè​yǔ

misfortunes compounding

屋 wū house, room

Depicts a yurt (𡉉) over a room (室).

Components

𡉉
𡉉 SoundIconic component
què yurt

Depicts a yurt. 𡉉 also represents the sound. Modern form looks like 尸.

Change in sound
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 𡉉 than it was in ancient scripts.
室
室 MeaningRemnant component
shì room

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 6 verified)

握喔渥龌幄齷

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

幄

Iconic (1)

屚

Remnant (1)

屚

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagart'uwkqˤok (or *ʔˤok ?)house; roof

說文解字

《說文》：“屋，居也。从尸，尸，所主也。一曰尸象屋形；从至，至，所至止。室、屋皆从至。，籀文屋，从厂。，古文屋。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.677-678zi.tools
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

漏 lòu leak

Originally written as 屚, which depicts rainwater (雨) leaking through a house roof (屋). The 氵 (water) component was added later to clarify the meaning.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

屚
屚 SoundIconic component
lòu to leak

Depicts rainwater (雨) leaking through a house roof (屋).

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartluwH[Nə-r]ˤok-s leak (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“漏，以銅受水刻節，晝夜百刻。从水，屚聲。”

Sources

Character origin
李学勤《字源》p.1011, 1025許進雄《新編進階甲骨文字典: 甲骨文發現120周年紀念版》p.204
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

更 gèng, gēng more

Original meaning: continue; succession

Depicts using a whip (攴) to control a succession of chariots (丙). 丙 also represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "continue; succession". The meaning later shifted to "further" and "more".

Components

攴
攴 Iconic component
pū tap

Depicts a hand holding a whip.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 攴 than it was in ancient scripts.
丙
丙 SoundIconic component
bǐng third

Used here to depict a chariot.

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

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 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
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

硬梗哽埂粳鲠绠筻

Meaning (1)

甦

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkaengkˤraŋ change (v.)
kaengHkˤraŋ-s still more

說文解字

《說文》：“，改也。从攴，丙聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇 《說文新證》 p.241
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

遭 zāo come across

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 曹 represents the sound.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

曹
曹 Sound component
cáo plaintiff and defendant

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsawtsˤuencounter (v.)
Zhengzhangʔsluː
Unicodetzɑu

說文解字

遇也。从辵曹聲。一曰邐行。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

连 lián connect, join, link Simplified

Depicts a carriage (车) being pulled by a person walking (辶). Simplified form of 連.

Components

车
车 Meaning component
chē cart, vehicle
辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 7 verified)

莲链琏涟鲢裢梿

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

链

Sources

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

夜 yè night

Phonosemantic compound. 夕 represents the meaning and 亦 represents the sound.

Components

夕
夕 Meaning component
xī evening

Pictograph of the moon.

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

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Three Kingdoms (Wu) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

液腋掖

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartyaeH[ɢ]Ak-s night

說文解字

《說文》：“夜，舍也。天下休舍也。从夕，亦省聲。”

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)

雨 yǔ rain

Pictograph of rain falling from a cloud.

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 Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 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
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

Component uses

Meaning (7 of 38 verified)

露雪震零霍雾霸霞霉霆霜雯霄霖霎霹雳霓雹霭霾霁霰霏霈電雩霪霅雲霑霧霂霝靂霡霽霢

Iconic (3)

需雷屚

Deleted (1)

电

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

雩

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthjuXC.ɢʷ(r)aʔ rain
hjuH[ɢ]ʷ(r)aʔ-s rain (v.t.)

說文解字

《說文》：“雨，水从雲下也。一象天，冂象雲，水霝其間也。，古文。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.813-814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)

連 lián connect, join, link Traditional

Depicts a carriage (車) being pulled by a person walking (辶).

Components

車
車 Meaning component
chē cart, vehicle
辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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

Sound (0 of 6 verified)

蓮鏈褳漣槤鰱

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

鏈

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartljenC.ra[n] [surname]
ljen[r]a[n] connect in a row

說文解字

員連也。从辵从車。

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)