hàn Chinese people Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and 𦰩 represents the sound. In simplified characters, the 𦰩 component is abbreviated to .

Components

Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

is a component form of .

Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the 𦰩 component in the traditional character .

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

chuān stream

Pictograph of a river.

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 Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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

Component uses

Sound (4 of 10 verified)

Meaning (1 of 4 verified)

Iconic (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyhwent.l̥u[n] (MC -jwen is irregular)stream, river

說文解字

《說文》:“川,貫穿通流水也。《虞書》曰:‘濬巜距川’,言深巜之水會為川也。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

hàn Chinese people Traditional

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

Components

Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

is a component form of .

𦰩
𦰩 Sound component
jiān to sigh
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxanHn̥ˤar-s (W dialect: *n̥- > MC x-, *-r > *-n)(river name)

說文解字

《說文》:“漢,漾也,東為滄浪水。从水,難省聲。,古文。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica