眉毛钳
méi​máo​qián

tweezers

眉 méi eyebrows

Depicts hair above the eye (目).

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts eyebrows.

目
目 Iconic component
mù eye

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
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

履媚湄嵋楣镅鹛猸

Iconic (1)

履

Remnant (1)

履

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmijmr[ə][r] eyebrow

說文解字

《說文》：“眉，目上毛也。从目，象眉之形，上象頟理也。”

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)

毛 máo, mao hair

Pictograph of a feather.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 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
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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

Meaning (3 of 18 verified)

表毫笔毯毡蚝氅牦旄毽氇氆毵氍毳毹毪氈

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

耗髦耄蚝牦旄酕氂

Simplified (1)

笔

Iconic (1)

尾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmawC.mˤaw hair

說文解字

《說文》：“毛，眉髮之屬及獸毛也。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)

钳 qián pincers Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 钅 represents the meaning and 甘 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鉗.

Components

钅
钅 Meaning component
jīn metal

钅 is a component form of 金.

甘
甘 Sound component
gān sweetness

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

鉗 qián pincers Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 釒 represents the meaning and 甘 represents the sound.

Components

釒
釒 Meaning component
jīn metal

釒 is a component form of 金.

甘
甘 Sound component
gān sweetness

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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-SagartgjemC.[ɡ]<r>[e]mpincers, tongs
Zhengzhangɡram

說文解字

以𨮯有所劫束也。从金甘聲。

Sources

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