hěn​kuài

very soon

hěn very

Original meaning: go against

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "go against". The meaning later shifted to "fight", "ruthless", "extraordinary", and "very". Etymologically related to .

Components

Meaning component
chì, fú walk

is a component form of .

SoundMeaning component
gěn, gèn, hén blunt

Depicts a person looking backwards.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangɡɯːnʔ

說文解字

《說文》:“很,不聽从也。一曰行難也。一曰盭也。从彳,聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

kuài, kuai rapid

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
xin, xīn heart

is a component form of .

Sound component
guài, jué parted

Character Evolution

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

Component uses

Sound (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkhwaejH[k]ʷʰˤret-s cheerful

說文解字

《說文》:“快,喜也。从心,夬聲。”

Sources

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