显微学 Origin — Dong Chinese Dictionary

xiǎnwēixué

microscopy

xiǎn evident, make visible, clear Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 日 represents the meaning and 𢇁 represents the sound. Simplified form of 顯.

Components

日 Meaning component

rì sun

业 Simplified component

yè profession

Shorthand for the phonetic 𢇁 component in the traditional character 㬎.

Component uses

Sound (1)

Sources

Character origin: 李学勤《字源》p.783-784漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants: Unicode

wēi small

Original meaning: go out and hide

Phonosemantic compound. 彳 represents the meaning and 𢼸 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "go out and hide". The meaning later shifted to "conceal" and "tiny".

Components

彳 Meaning component

chì, fú walk

彳 is a component form of 行.

Change in meaning

彳 hints at the original meaning of 微, "go out and hide", which is no longer the most common meaning of 微 in modern Mandarin.

𢼸 Sound component

wēi, wéi tiny, small

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

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	mj+j	məj	small

說文解字

《說文》：“微，隱行也。从彳，聲。《春秋傳》曰：‘白公其徒微之。’”

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)

xué learning Simplified

Simplified form of 學. Depicts two hands (𦥑) teaching a child (子) under a roof (宀). 爻 represents the sound.

Components

◎ Simplified component

characterless component

Shorthand for the 𦥑 and 爻 components in the traditional character 學.

宀 Iconic component

mián roof

子 Iconic component

zi, zǐ child

Component uses

Sound (1)

Remnant (1)

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

xiǎn make visible, clear Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 㬎 represents the sound and 頁 represents the meaning.

Components

㬎 Sound Meaning component

xiǎn visible, bright

頁 Meaning component

yè (head), page

Depicts a person whose head is emphasized.

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Early Western Zhou ~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

Bronze form — Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC

Seal form — Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC

Seal form — Seal Qin 221-206 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	xenX	qʰˤenʔ	display, manifest

說文解字

《說文》：“顯，頭明飾也。从頁，聲。”

Sources

Character origin: 李学勤《字源》p.783-784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)

xué learning Traditional

Depicts two hands (𦥑) teaching a child (子) under a roof (宀). 爻 represents the sound.

Components

𦥑 Iconic component

jú, jǔ, póu two hands

Depicts two hands.

爻 Sound component

yáo, xiào diagrams for divination

Change in sound

學 and 爻 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Middle Chinese.
學 haewk
爻 haew

宀 Iconic component

mián roof

Depicts a roof.

子 Iconic component

zi, zǐ child

Depicts a child.

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 Early Warring States ~400 BC

Bronze form — Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	haewk	m-kˤruk	study; imitate

說文解字

《說文》：“斆，覺悟也。从教，从冖，冖，尚矇也，臼聲。學，篆文斅省。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.247-248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)