Simplified
Simplified
Original meaning: hunting tool
Simplified form of 單. Pictograph of a hunting tool or weapon constructed from rocks tied to a tree branch. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
The character was originally depicted moonlight (月) shining through a window (囧). The 囧 component was later reanalyzed as 日 (sun).
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mjaeng | mraŋ | bright |
說文解字
《說文》：“朙，照也。从月，从囧。明，古文朙，从日。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.551-552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)
Simplified
Original meaning: armless child
Pictograph of a young child, similar to 子, but without arms. Compare to 孑 (child only with right arm) and 孓 (child only with left arm). The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | |
|---|---|---|
| Zhengzhang | reːwʔ | |
| Unicode | leǔ | |
| leǔ |
說文解字
《說文》：“了，尦也。从子無臂，象形。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.972
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Zhengzhang Shangfang
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Traditional
Original meaning: bamboo strips for writing
Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 間 represents the sound. The character is based on the original meaning "bamboo strips for writing". The meaning later shifted to "letter", "concise", and "simple".
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | keanX | kˤre[n]ʔ | bamboo slip for writing |
| keanX | kˤre[n]ʔ | select, large-minded, etc. |
說文解字
《說文》：“簡，牒也。从竹，間聲。”
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)
Traditional
Original meaning: hunting tool
Pictograph of a hunting tool or weapon constructed from rocks tied to a tree branch. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | dzyen | dar (< *[d]ar) | 單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn) |
| tan | Cə.tˤar | single, simple |
說文解字
《說文》：“單，大也。从吅、，吅亦聲。闕。”
Sources
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)