Original meaning: weapon
Pictograph of a weapon with a forked blade and long handle. The meaning "I; me" is a phonetic loan.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | ngaX | ŋˤajʔ | we, I |
說文解字
《說文》:“我,施身自謂也。或說我,頃頓也。从戈,从。,或說古垂字。一曰古殺字。,古文我。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.867
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Depicts a street intersection.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | hang | [g]ˤaŋ | rank, row |
| haeng | Cə.[g]ˤraŋ | walk (v.) | |
| haengH | [g]ˤraŋ-s | action |
說文解字
《說文》:“行,人之步趨也。从彳,从亍。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.138
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Depicts raw silk (糸) hanging from a rack.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | suH | [s]ˤak-s | white silk |
說文解字
《說文》:“素,白緻繒也。从糸、,取其澤也。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.891-892
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)