抽丝剥茧
chōu​sī​bō​jiǎn

unravel

抽 chōu draw out

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 由 represents the sound.

Components

扌
扌 Meaning component
shou, shǒu hand

扌 is a component form of 手.

由
由 Sound component
yóu cause

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttrhjuwl̥ru take out, pull out

說文解字

《說文》：“，引也。从手，畱聲。抽，或从由。，或从秀。”

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)

丝 sī silk, threads Simplified

Simplified form of 絲. Duplication of 纟 (silk).

Components

纟
纟 Iconic component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

纟
纟 Iconic component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

咝鸶

Iconic (1)

㡭

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

剥 bō peel Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 录 represents the sound. Simplified form of 剝.

Components

刂
刂 Meaning component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.

录
录 Sound component
lù copy

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

茧 jiǎn cocoon Simplified

A silk cocoon 艹 spun by a worm 虫

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass
虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

絲 sī silk, threads Traditional

Duplication of 糸 (silk).

Components

糹
糹 Iconic component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

糸
糸 Iconic component
mì, sī silk

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
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (1)

䜌

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartsi[s]ə silk

說文解字

《說文》：“絲，蠶所吐也。从二糸。”

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)

剝 bō peel Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 彔 represents the sound.

Components

刂
刂 Meaning component
dāo knife

刂 is a component form of 刀.

彔
彔 Sound component
lù to carve wood

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpæwk[p]ˤrok
(~ *mə-pˤrok)		flay, peel
Zhengzhangproːɡ
Unicodepak

說文解字

裂也。从刀从录。录，刻割也。录亦聲。

Sources

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

繭 jiǎn cocoon Traditional

A silk 糹 cocoon 冂 spun by a worm 虫

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass
冂
冂 Meaning component
jiōng, jiǒng large room
糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk
虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkenXkˤ[e][n]ʔcocoon
Zhengzhangkeːnʔ
Unicodegěn

說文解字

蠶衣也。从糸从虫，黹省。

Sources

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