Original meaning: tree trunk
Similar to 木 (tree), with extra branches added. Based on the original meaning "tree trunk", now written as 枚. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mj+jH | m[ə]t-s | not yet |
| mj+jH | m[ə]t-s | 8th earthly branch |
說文解字
《說文》：“未，味也，六月滋味也。五行，木老於未，象木重枝葉也。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.981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)
Original meaning: elder sister
Phonosemantic compound. 女 represents the meaning and 台 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "elder sister", now written as 姒. The meaning later shifted to "first" and "start".
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | syiX | l̥əʔ | begin |
說文解字
《說文》：“始，女之初也。从女，台聲。”
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)