稀土元素
xī​tǔ​yuán​sù

rare earth element

稀 xī rare

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 希 represents the sound.

Components

禾
禾 Meaning component
hé grain stalk
希
希 Sound component
xī hope

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhanghlɯl
Unicodexiəi

說文解字

䟽也。从禾希聲。

Sources

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

土 tǔ earth

Depicts a lump of dirt on the ground.

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 Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Spring and Autumn 771-476 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (51 of 186 verified)

地里场社基城增型境坚压块坏野域均堂坦庄塔徒塞埃培堆壁墨堡坡垂埋尘坛堪墓址填疆塑圳坑坠堵垄坟壤垒塘坎堤塌坊垫垃圾堕垮灶坪坝垣墟垦壕埔坞垢堑埠堰坍墩坯塾坷壑坂垛圪埂圩垠墒坳埽垩圻壅垅堋垭堀圮埙坨垡茔墉墀堞塬垴垓垧墼坩坼塄垆坻圯圹埚堙坌塍埒瘗埝垸墁埸埤埯埘坭埴堍垤埕埭圬堠埏坜坫陞墚坶塥垲垌壟塕塲墊塚塋塹塊厓墜壢塢埗堿塗墾壩圼毀墻塡埇場埰埄垚埡垯墮壓壞堅垔堃堊埲塵坒壇埼坴墳埵壘

Sound (3 of 10 verified)

社徒杜吐肚墅坤钍芏圤

Iconic (7 of 8 verified)

坐廛圥𡈼埶堯隓對

Simplified (2)

圣墙

Unknown (1)

𤕦

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartthuXtʰˤaʔ earth

說文解字

《說文》：“土，地之吐生物者也。二象地之下、地之中物出形也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.906
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

元 yuán first

Pictograph of a person with a line added at the head area, representing the meaning "head" or "first".

Character Evolution

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
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Seal form
Seal Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Xin 9-23 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (7 of 16 verified)

完远园玩冠顽阮沅髡鼋芫朊翫蚖黿頑

Iconic (2)

冠寇

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartngjwon[ŋ]o[r] (< nasal + uvular)head; first

說文解字

《說文》：“元，始也。从一，从兀。”

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)

素 sù raw silk, white, plain

Depicts raw silk (糸) hanging from a rack.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts a rack.

糸
糸 Iconic component
mì, sī silk

Depicts raw silk.


Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 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

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

愫嗉

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

愫

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsuH[s]ˤak-s white silk

說文解字

《說文》：“素，白緻繒也。从糸、，取其澤也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.891-892
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)