zhī​xì​tǒng

subsystem

zhī support, hold up

Pictograph of a hand () lifting a piece of bamboo ().

Components

Iconic component
gè, ge, gě [measure word]

Depicts a piece of bamboo.

Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand.


Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

Iconic (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyeke support, hold up
tsyeke branch (of tree), limb

說文解字

《說文》:“支,去竹之枝也。从手持半竹。,古文支。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

xì, xi, jì system

Pictograph of a hand () holding a group of threads () that are connected together ().

Components

Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Iconic component
mì, sī silk

Depicts a group of threads.


Character Evolution

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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (1 of 3 verified)

Iconic (2)

Deleted (1)

Sound (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthejH[m]-kˤek-s bind (v.)

說文解字

《說文》:“系,繫也。从糸,丿聲。,系或从、處。,籀文系从爪、絲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

tǒng connected Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
silk

is a component form of .

Sound component
chōng fill

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

tǒng connected Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
silk

is a component form of .

Sound component
chōng fill

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰuːŋs
Unicodetòng

說文解字

《說文》:“統,紀也。从糸,充聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica