幂等
mì​děng

idempotent

幂 mì cover-cloth Simplified

A cover 冖 cloth 巾; 冖 also provides the pronunciation

Components

冖
冖 SoundMeaning component
mì cover
旲
旲 Meaning component
tái, yīng big
巾
巾 Meaning component
jīn cloth

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangmeːɡ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

等 děng rank

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 寺 represents the sound.

Components

⺮
⺮ Meaning component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of 竹. Alludes to an orderly arrangement of writings on bamboo strips.

寺
寺 Sound component
sì, shì temple
Change in sound

Character Evolution

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 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttongXtˤəŋʔ step, grade

說文解字

《說文》：“等，齊簡也。从竹，从寺。寺，官曹之等平也。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫Wiktionary
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

冪 cover-cloth Traditional

A cover 冖 cloth 幕; 冖 also provides the pronunciation

Components

冖
冖 SoundMeaning component
mì cover
幕
幕 Meaning component
mù curtain

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmekmˤ[e]kcover
Zhengzhangmeːɡ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang