灰喉柳莺
huī​hóu​liǔ​yīng

ashy-throated warbler

灰 huī ashes

Depicts a hand (又) picking ashes left over from a fire (火).

Components

又
又 Iconic component
yòu hand
火
火 Iconic component
huǒ fire

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 5 verified)

恢盔诙咴詼

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartxwojm̥ˤə ashes

說文解字

《說文》：“灰，死火餘也。从火，从又。又，手也。火既滅，可以執持。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫李学勤《字源》p.890
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

喉 hóu throat

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

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
侯
侯 Sound component
hóu, hòu marquis

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthuw[ɡ]ˤ(r)othroat
Zhengzhangɡoː

Sources

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

柳 liǔ willow tree

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 卯 represents the sound. Simplified form of 栁.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
卯
卯 Sound component
mǎo 4th terrestrial branch

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartljuwX([m]ə.)ruʔwillow
Zhengzhangm·ruʔ
Unicodeliǒu

Sources

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

莺 yīng oriole Simplified

Simplified form of 鶯. Phonosemantic compound. 鳥 represents the meaning and 𤇾 represents the sound.

Components

𤇾
𤇾 SoundSimplified component
yìng glimmer
鸟
鸟 Meaning component
niǎo bird

Sources

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

鶯 oriole Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 鳥 represents the meaning and 𤇾 represents the sound.

Components

𤇾
𤇾 Sound component
yìng glimmer
鳥
鳥 Meaning component
niǎo bird

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangqreːŋ
Unicodeqɛng

說文解字

《說文》：“鶯，鳥也。从鳥，榮省聲。《詩》曰：‘有鶯其羽。’”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)