怪蜀黍

怪 guài strange

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

Components

忄
忄 Meaning component
xin, xīn heart

忄 is a component form of 心.

圣
圣 Sound component
shèng sage, holy
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkweajH[k]ʷˤrə-s extraordinary

說文解字

《說文》：“怪，異也。从心，圣聲。”

Sources

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

蜀 shǔ short name for Sichuan

Depicts a person (人) raising silkworms (虫). Refers to Can Cong (蠶叢), the legendary ruler of the kingdom of Shu (modern-day Sichuan), who was said to have been the inventor of silk.

Components

目
目 Iconic component
mù eye

Depicts the eye of a person.

人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person
虫
虫 Iconic component
chóng bug, insect

Depicts a silkworm.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone Western Zhou 1045-771 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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 (3 of 8 verified)

镯蠲髑觸鐲獨燭屬

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

躅濁

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzyowk[d]ok caterpillar; Shu [place name]

說文解字

《說文》：“蜀，葵中蠶也。从虫。上目象蜀頭形，中象其身蜎蜎。《詩》曰：‘蜎蜎者蜀。’”

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)

黍 shǔ proso millet

Pictograph of a stalk of proso millet with drooping ears. The 氺 (water) component was added later to possibly indicate that this specific type of grain is used to brew wine.

Components

禾
禾 Iconic component
hé grain stalk

Depicts a proso millet plant with drooping ears.

氺
氺 Meaning component
shuǐ water

氺 is a component form of 水.

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
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
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Western Zhou 1045-771 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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

Meaning (1 of 2 verified)

黎黏

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsyoXs-tʰaʔ Panicum miliaceum, glutinous

說文解字

《說文》：“黍，禾屬而黏者也。以大暑而穜，故謂之黍。从禾，雨省聲。孔子曰：黍可為酒，禾入水也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.578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)