扁桃体炎
biǎn​táo​tǐ​yán

tonsillitis

扁 biǎn flat

Original meaning: signboard

Pictograph of a signboard attached to a door. Based on the original meaning "signboard". The meaning later shifted to "tablet" and "flat".

Components

户
户 Iconic component
hù, hu door
冊
冊 Iconic component
cè book

Depicts a signboard affixed to a door.


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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (6 of 19 verified)

编篇遍偏骗翩匾蝙谝鳊煸褊碥蹁編騙犏猵稨

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

匾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartpenXpˤe[r]ʔ flat and thin

說文解字

《說文》：“扁，署也。从戶、冊。戶冊者，署門戶之文也。”

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)

桃 táo peach

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 兆 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
兆
兆 Sound component
zhào omen

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdawC.lˤawpeach
Zhengzhangl'aːw
Unicodedhɑu

說文解字

果也。从木兆聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

体 tǐ body Simplified

Simplified form of 體. The foundation (本) of a person (亻) is their body (体).

Components

亻
亻 Meaning component
rén person

亻 is a component form of 人.

本
本 Meaning component
běn root

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangbɯːnʔ

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

炎 yán flame

Combination of two fires (火).

Components

火
火 Iconic component
huǒ fire
火
火 Iconic component
huǒ fire

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 12 verified)

谈淡毯痰氮琰郯啖锬剡談赕

Meaning (0 of 3 verified)

琰欻燅

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthjem[ɢ]ʷ(r)am burn, blazing

說文解字

《說文》：“炎，火光上也。从重火。”

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)

體 tǐ body Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 骨 represents the meaning and 豊 represents the sound.

Components

骨
骨 Meaning component
gǔ, gú bone
豊
豊 Sound component
lǐ, fēng abundant
Change in sound

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartthejXr̥ˤijʔ body; limbs

說文解字

《說文》：“體，總十二屬也。从骨，豊聲。”

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)