zū​zhài

rent and debt

rent

Original meaning: land tax

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "land tax". The meaning later shifted to "rent" and "hire".

Components

Meaning component
grain stalk
Sound component
qiě moreover
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangʔsaː
Unicodetzo

說文解字

《說文》:“租,田賦也。从禾,且聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

zhài debt Simplified

A person's  duty  also provides the pronunciation

Components

Meaning component
rén person
SoundMeaning component
responsibility

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

zhài debt Traditional

A person's  duty  also provides the pronunciation

Components

Meaning component
rén person
SoundMeaning component
responsibility

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsrɛHs-tˤrek-sdebt
Zhengzhangʔsreːɡs
ʔsreːɡ
Unicodejrɛi

說文解字

債負也。从人、責,責亦聲。

Sources

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