白蜡树
bái​là​shù

Chinese ash

白 bái, bai white

Origin unclear. Possibly depicts a thumb or a person's face.

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 Qin 221-206 BC
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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (8 of 15 verified)

百怕伯迫拍帕柏泊舶魄珀帛粕铂樂

Meaning (2 of 13 verified)

的珀皓皖皑皋皙皎皤皅皦皒皚

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartbaekbˤrak white

說文解字

《說文》：“白，西方色也。陰用事，物色白。从入合二。二，陰數。，古文白。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.625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)

蜡 là wax Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 昔 represents the sound. Simplified form of 蠟.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
昔
昔 Sound component
xī, cuò in the past, ancient times

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Jin 266-420 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangzraːɡs
sʰaːɡs

說文解字

蠅䏣也。《周禮》：“蜡氏掌除骴。”从虫昔聲。

Sources

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

树 shù tree Simplified

Simplified form of 樹. Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 尌 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
对
对 Simplified component
duì correct

Shorthand for the phonetic 尌 (shù) component in the traditional character 樹.

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

蠟 là wax Traditional

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect

insect

巤
巤 Sound component
liè whiskers

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartlapk.rˤap (no pre-Qín exx.)wax
Zhengzhangraːb
Unicodelɑp

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang

樹 shù tree Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 尌 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
尌
尌 Sound component
shù, zhù standing (something) up

Character Evolution

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
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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzyuXm-toʔ plant (v.); place upright
dzyuHm-toʔ-s tree

說文解字

《說文》：“樹，生植之緫名。从木，尌聲。尌，籀文。”

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)