狼吞虎咽
láng​tūn​hǔ​yàn

devour

狼 láng wolf

Phonosemantic compound. 犭 represents the meaning and 良 represents the sound.

Components

犭
犭 Meaning component
quǎn dog

犭 is a component form of 犬.

良
良 Sound component
liáng good

Character Evolution

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 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-Sagartlang[r]ˤaŋwolf
Zhengzhangraːŋ
Unicodelɑng

說文解字

似犬，銳頭，白頰，高前，廣後。从犬良聲。

Sources

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

吞 tūn swallow

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

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
天
天 Sound component
tiān, tian sky

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
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartthenl̥ ˤən(surname)
thonl̥ ˤənto swallow
Zhengzhangqʰl'iːn
qʰl'ɯːn
Unicodetən

說文解字

咽也。从口天聲。

Sources

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

虎 hǔ, hu tiger

Pictograph of a tiger.

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
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (2 of 5 verified)

彪琥號虒猇

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

唬琥處

Iconic (2)

虢冡

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxuXqʰˤraʔ (W dialect: *qˤʰr- >r̥ˤ- > x-)tiger

說文解字

《說文》：“虎，山獸之君。从虍，虎足象人足，象形……虝，古文虎。，亦古文虎。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.409
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

咽 yàn, yè, yān throat Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 因 represents the sound. Simplified form of 嚥.

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth
因
因 Sound component
yīn cause

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartʔenʔˤi[n]gullet
ʔenHʔˤi[n]-sswallow (v.)
Zhengzhangqiːn
qiːns
qiːd
Unicodeqet

說文解字

嗌也。从口因聲。

Sources

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

嚥 yàn swallow Traditional

Components

口
口 Meaning component
kǒu, kou mouth

mouth

燕
燕 Sound component
yàn swallow (bird)

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangqeːns

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang