总参谋部
Zǒng​cān​móu​bù

general staff

总 zǒng collect Simplified

Simplified form of 總. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 悤 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bind together", since thread (糹) is used to put things together.

Components

總
糹 Deleted component
mì silk
悤
悤 SoundSimplified component
cōng agitated

Component uses

Sound (1)

聪

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

参 cān, shēn take part in Simplified

Original meaning: Three Stars constellation

Simplified form of 參. Depicts three (三) stars (晶) shining (光). Originally represented the Three Stars constellation (參) in Chinese astronomy. The more common meaning "take part in" is a phonetic loan.

Components

晶
晶 IconicSimplified component
jīng bright, crystal

Depicts three stars joined together

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 晶 than it was in ancient scripts.
光
光 IconicRemnant component
guāng light
三
三 SoundMeaning component
sān three

Component uses

Sound (0 of 8 verified)

惨渗掺碜糁骖毵黪

Historical Pronunciations

Middle Chinese
Unicodechrim
shrim
tsom

Sources

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

谋 móu, mou plan Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 某 represents the sound. Simplified form of 謀.

Components

讠
讠 Meaning component
yán speech

讠 is a component form of 言.

某
某 Sound component
mǒu certain thing or person

Sources

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

部 bù part

Original meaning: place in Gansu province

Phonosemantic compound. ⻏ represents the meaning and 咅 represents the sound.

Components

⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

⻏ is a component form of 邑.

Change in meaning
⻏ hints at the original meaning of 部, "place in Gansu province", which is no longer the most common meaning of 部 in modern Mandarin.
咅
咅 Sound component
pǒu to spit out

Character Evolution

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-SagartbuwX[b]ˤ(r)oʔ lead (v.), govern

說文解字

天水狄部。从邑咅聲。

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)

總 zǒng collect Traditional

Original meaning: bind together

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 悤 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bind together", since thread (糹) is used to put things together.

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

悤
悤 Sound component
cōng agitated

Character Evolution

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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsuwng[ts]ˤoŋ bundle of threads
tsuwngX[ts]ˤoŋ bind together

說文解字

《說文》：“總，聚束也。从糸，悤聲。”

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)

參 cān, shēn take part in Traditional

Original meaning: Three Stars constellation

Depicts three (三) stars (晶) shining (光). Originally represented the Three Stars constellation (參) in Chinese astronomy. The more common meaning "take part in" is a phonetic loan.

Components

晶
晶 Iconic component
jīng bright, crystal
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 晶 than it was in ancient scripts.
光
光 IconicRemnant component
guāng light
三
三 SoundMeaning component
sān three

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 Shuowen ~100 AD
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 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

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

摻慘滲

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttshomr̥ˤəʔaccumulate
tsrhim[tsʰr][u]m 參差 tsrhim.tsrhje uneven
sams.rum (*s.r- > s-; infl. by 四 *s-?)three
srimsrum (should be *s.rum)the constellation Orion’ (named for the three stars in Orion’s belt)

說文解字

《說文》：“曑，商星也。从晶，聲。參，曑或省。”

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)

謀 móu, mou plan, scheme Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 某 represents the sound.

Components

言
言 Meaning component
yán speech
某
某 Sound component
mǒu certain thing or person

Character Evolution

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 Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmjuwmə plan (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“謀，慮難曰謀。从言，某聲。古文謀，亦古文。”

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)