Páng​shì​piàn​jú

Ponzi scheme

páng huge Simplified

Original meaning: tall house

Phonosemantic compound. 广 represents the meaning and represents the sound. The meaning later extended to "huge" and "disorderly". Simplified form of .

Components

广
广 Meaning component
guǎng roof

Depicts a building.

Sound component
lóng dragon

Sources

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

shì clan

Pictograph of a tool similar to a hammer that is shaped like deer antlers. Original meaning unclear.

Character Evolution

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 Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (4 of 8 verified)

Iconic (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzyeXk.deʔ clan

說文解字

《說文》:“氏,巴蜀山名岸脅之旁箸欲落者曰氏。氏崩聲聞數百里。象形,乀聲。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.859-860漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

piàn swindle Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Components

Meaning component
horse
Sound component
biǎn flat

Sources

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

bureau

Original meaning: bent, curved

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bent, curved". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

Meaning component
shī sitting person

Depicts a person bending over.

Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "bent, curved", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.
Sound component
sentence

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartgjowkN-kʰ(r)ok bent, curved
gjowk[g](r)ok department

說文解字

《說文》:“局,促也。从口在尺下,復局之。一曰博所以行棊。象形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.101
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

páng huge, disorderly Traditional

Original meaning: tall house

Phonosemantic compound. 广 represents the meaning and represents the sound. The meaning later extended to "huge" and "disorderly".

Components

广
广 Meaning component
guǎng roof

Depicts a building.

Sound component
lóng dragon

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Jin 266-420 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartbaewng[b]ˤroŋ huge

說文解字

《說文》:“龐,高屋也。从广,龍聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

piàn swindle Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
horse
Sound component
biǎn flat

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartphjienHphen(ʔ)-s to fool, to cheat

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart