朽木不可雕
xiǔ​mù​bù​kě​diāo

hopeless case

朽 xiǔ decayed

The wood of a dying 丂 tree 木

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
丂
丂 Meaning component
kǎo, qiǎo, yú axe handle

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxjuwXqʰ(r)uʔrot, decay
Zhengzhangqʰluʔ
Unicodexiǒu

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

木 mù tree

Pictograph of a tree.

Character Evolution

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
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (86 of 360 verified)

样机条权格根亲极查李标构案校模树村检概核架困枪楼松板材荣杨床植杰梅桌杜桥横杯梁枝闲柳柔柏械椅梯柱档桃柯桂棉柴柜杆棋朴栏棵框枯柄棍棒寨渠杭栽桶杖棚椎栖株棠桩桓朽榜枕枢榴梭棺栋桐梳杉棕樱梢橡棱枉梗栓桨槽栅梨榻橱杠檐槐椒栈楞枫榆桔椭柿梧槛樵檀橄楷桅橙榄橘榨枷楠桢栩梓杞楔桦枭椰檬榈橇椋槟楣梆樟桧槌榕橹椿棣柠柑杳榭榔栾榘榷椤椽槁枞杈柚柩枸榛樽榉栉梏栎桎楂楹杵樾楫桠杲榫槭橛杼棂枰樯槿臬槎杷柞榧枋桉枥槊枳枇柢桁桡栀槲椴樗榇柘檩蘖枵杓楸楦楝椁榱槔樘桤楮栌杪橥檠槠榍桴柙杌椹檎桷桕桫枘枨棹杩栊栲檫樨柽棰椟椠檗梃橼栳椐柁桄枧榀栝楱檑築柃楗閑樸檯櫞櫸橫槍構桲栴樁槃柵椪榅梟機樺榿棧欒楨榲欞櫛標櫆欄檸楳欖櫱枒棲條櫫柲檮槓檳楛檢桊楙樣櫪梼橈橋樅㓷柤柊槤樆橢槨櫻櫍櫃檻檔槜梣椆棶桿槺檜櫓𬃊權枓櫟梾樹楓杙槳栱極檃橾樞櫚櫥檵棟梔樛梿棻椥楊榮樑槀樓樴

Iconic (31)

本相新果林集某采县宋森析休朱乘呆桑枚巢栗杏桀柰縣尞尌喿桼枼樂椉

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

溧柒

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

沐

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmuwkC.mˤok tree, wood

說文解字

《說文》：“木，冒也，冒地而生。東方之行。从屮，下象其根。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.484
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

不 bù, bu no

Original meaning: sepals

Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

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
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 Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 5 verified)

否杯钚罘盃

Simplified (4)

还环怀坏

Meaning (1 of 4 verified)

否歪甭孬

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpjuwpə not
pjuwpə 不律 writing brush (pron. in Wú 吳 ap. Shuōwén; E. Hàn)

說文解字

《說文》：“不，鳥飛上翔不下來也。从一，一猶天也。象形。”

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)

可 kě able to

Original meaning: sing

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and a pictograph of an axe handle (丂) which is now written as 柯 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "sing", now written as 歌. The current meaning "able to" is a phonetic loan.

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
Change in meaning
口 hints at the original meaning of 可, "sing", which is no longer the most common meaning of 可 in modern Mandarin.
丂
丂 SoundIconic component
kǎo, qiǎo, yú axe handle

Depicts an axe handle.

Change in sound

Character Evolution

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 Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn ~600 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (6 of 20 verified)

何阿奇河哥呵柯苛珂诃轲坷舸岢疴哿蚵钶軻訶

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

珂

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkhaX[k]ʰˤa[j]ʔ may; acceptable

說文解字

《說文》：“可，肎也。从口、丂，丂亦聲。”

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)

雕 diāo engrave

Phonosemantic compound. 隹 represents the meaning and 周 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鵰.

Components

隹
隹 Meaning component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird
周
周 Sound component
zhōu cycle

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttewtˤiwbird of prey
Zhengzhangtɯːw
Unicodedeu

說文解字

鷻也。从隹周聲。

Sources

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