望洋兴叹
wàng​yáng​xīng​tàn

feel powerless

望 wàng, wang to look at

Pictograph of a person standing up (𡈼) and gazing at the moon (月). 亡 is a sound component.

Components

亡
亡 Sound component
wáng death
月
月 Iconic component
yuè, yue moon
𡈼
𡈼 Iconic component
tǐng, tíng, zhēng stand upright

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
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 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 Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmjangmaŋ look at from a distance
mjangHmaŋ-s look at from a distance

說文解字

《說文》：“望，出亡在外，望其還也。从亡，朢省聲。”

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)

洋 yáng ocean

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 羊 represents the sound.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

羊
羊 Sound component
yáng sheep

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 ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartyangɢ(r)aŋ 'great expanse of water'

說文解字

《說文》：“洋，水。出齊臨朐高山，東北入鉅定。从水，羊聲。”

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)

兴 xìng, xīng rise, flourish Simplified

Depicts four hands (舁) working together (同) to raise something. The simplified character 兴 was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 興.

Components

舁
舁 IconicSimplified component
yú to lift

Shorthand for the 舁 component in the traditional character 興. Depicts four hands.

同
同 IconicSimplified component
tóng, tong, tòng together

Shorthand for the 同 component in the traditional character 興. Depicts something being lifted.

Component uses

Simplified (1)

举

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

誉

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

叹 tàn sigh Simplified

Simplified form of 嘆. Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 𦰩 represents the sound.

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
又
又 Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the 𦰩 component in the traditional character 嘆.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Regular Modern

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica

興 xìng, xīng rise, flourish Traditional

Depicts four hands (舁) working together (同) to raise something.

Components

舁
舁 Iconic component
yú to lift

Depicts four hands.

同
同 Iconic component
tóng, tong, tòng together

Depicts something being lifted.


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 Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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 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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Xin 9-23 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Jin 266-420 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

舋

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartxingqʰ(r)əŋ lift, rise

說文解字

《說文》：“興，起也。从舁，从同。同力也。”

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)

嘆 tàn sigh Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 𦰩 represents the sound.

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
𦰩
𦰩 SoundIconic component
jiān to sigh

Depicts a tortured person or criminal sighing.

Change in sound

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartthanHn̥ˤar-s sigh

說文解字

《說文》：“嘆，吞歎也。从口，歎省聲。一曰太息也。”

Sources

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