dá​fù HSK5

answer

dá, dā answer

Original meaning: small bean

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "small bean". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

Meaning component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of .

Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "small bean", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.
Sound component
to join
Change in sound

Component uses

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttop[t]ˤ[u]p answer

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.68
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart

return Simplified

Pictograph of a foot entering or exiting a building, representing the meaning "to return".

Components

Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts some sort of enclosed building.

Iconic component
zhǐ, zhōng go

is a component form of . Depicts a foot.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 7 verified)

Meaning (1 of 2 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartbjuwkm-p(r)uk return

說文解字

《說文》:“,行故道也。从夊,畗省聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

cover, turn over Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
cover
Sound component
return

Character Evolution

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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
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-SagartphjuwHpʰ(r)uk-s cover
phjuwkpʰ(r)uk turn over

說文解字

《說文》:“覆,覂也。一曰蓋也。从襾,復聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica