差异性
chā​yì​xìng

difference

差 chà, chā, chāi to differ

Original meaning: rub between fingers

Depicts grain (來) being rolled between the fingers in the left hand (左). Based on the original meaning "rub between fingers", now written as 搓. The meaning later shifted to "uneven" and "error".

Components

來
來 Iconic component
lái come

Depicts grain.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 來 than it was in ancient scripts.
左
左 SoundIconic component
zuǒ left
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

搓磋嗟槎蹉鹾嵯瘥

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

蹉

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsrhaetsʰraj distinction; to select
tsrhea[tsʰ]raj distinction; to select
tsrheaj[tsʰ](ˤ)raj distinction; to select
tsrhjetsʰraj 參差 uneven
tsha[tsʰ]ˤaj rub, polish, file (v.)

說文解字

貳也。差不相值也。从左从𠂹。

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)

异 yì different Simplified

Original meaning: carry on the head

Phonosemantic compound. 廾 represents the meaning and 已 represents the sound. Simplified form of 異. Based on the original meaning "carry on the head", now written as 戴. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

已
已 Sound component
yǐ already
廾
廾 Meaning component
gǒng two hands
Change in meaning
廾 hints at the original meaning of 异, "carry on the head", which is no longer the most common meaning of 异 in modern Mandarin.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartyiHɢ(r)ək-s different

說文解字

《說文》：“异，舉也。从廾，聲。”

Sources

Character origin
李学勤《字源》p.204-205
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

性 xìng, xing nature

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 生 represents the sound.

Components

忄
忄 Meaning component
xin, xīn heart

忄 is a component form of 心.

生
生 Sound component
shēng, sheng life

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
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 Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsjengHseŋ-s nature

說文解字

《說文》：“性，人之陽气性善者也。从心，生聲。”

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)

異 yì different Traditional

Original meaning: carry on the head

Depicts two hands putting something on top of the head. Based on the original meaning "carry on the head", now written as 戴. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

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 Late Western Zhou ~800 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 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 3 verified)

戴翼冀

Iconic (1)

戴

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartyiHɢ(r)ək-s different

說文解字

《說文》：“異，分也。从廾、从畀。畀，予也。”

Sources

Character origin
李学勤《字源》p.204-205
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)