敲门砖
qiāo​mén​zhuān

stepping stone

敲 qiāo strike

Phonosemantic compound. 攴 represents the meaning and 高 represents the sound.

Components

高
高 Sound component
gāo high
攴
攴 Meaning component
pū tap

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangkʰraːw
kʰraːws
Unicodekau

說文解字

《說文》：“敲，橫擿也。从攴，高聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

门 mén, men door Simplified

Simplified form of 門. Pictograph of a gate.

Component uses

Meaning (2 of 32 verified)

阅闲阔阁闯阐阎阀闸闺阙阑阉阂闩闾阖闱阈闶闼阋阕闳阏阒阍阆阃闫阊阚

Sound (3 of 10 verified)

们问闻闷闽闵扪蔺钔訚

Iconic (5)

间闪闭闰𫔭

Simplified (1)

闹

Unknown (0 of 1 verified)

锎

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

砖 zhuān tile Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 石 represents the meaning and 专 represents the sound. Simplified form of 磚.

Components

石
石 Meaning component
shí stone
专
专 Sound component
zhuān monopolize

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

門 mén, men door Traditional

Original meaning: outer door

Pictograph of a gate.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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

Meaning (5 of 34 verified)

關閱闆閒閤闊闉閣閶閻閭闢闃闕閬閾閔閑閹闌闡闖閘闞闈閡閨閫閦閼閎闔閂閥

Sound (3 of 8 verified)

聞誾閵問們捫閩悶

Iconic (5)

間開閉閃閏

Deleted (2)

开关

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmwonmˤə[r] gate, door

說文解字

《說文》：“門，聞也。从二戶，象形。”

Sources

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

磚 zhuān tile Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 石 represents the meaning and 專 represents the sound.

Components

石
石 Meaning component
shí stone
專
專 Sound component
zhuān monopolize

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtjon

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang