纪念邮票
jì​niàn​yóu​piào

commemorative stamp

纪 jì record Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound. Simplified form of 紀.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

念 niàn think of, ready

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 今 represents the sound.

Components

心
心 Meaning component
xīn, xin heart
今
今 Sound component
jīn now
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 6 verified)

捻鲶稔埝鯰唸

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

谂

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartnemHnˤim-s think of

說文解字

《說文》：“念，常思也。从心，今聲。”

Sources

Character origin
李学勤《字源》p.927
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

邮 yóu postal Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. ⻏ represents the meaning and 由 represents the sound. Simplified form of 郵.

Components

由
由 Sound component
yóu cause
⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

阝 is a component form of 邑.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhanglɯw

說文解字

《說文》：“邮，左馮翊高陵。从邑，由聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

票 piào slip of paper or bamboo

Original meaning: leaping flames

Phonosemantic compound. A remnant of 要 represents the sound and 火 represents the meaning. Based on the original meaning "leaping flames". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

要
要 SoundRemnant component
yào, yāo want
火
火 Iconic component
huǒ fire
Change in meaning
火 hints at the original meaning of 票, "leaping flames", which is no longer the most common meaning of 票 in modern Mandarin.
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 火 than it was in ancient scripts.

Character Evolution

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

Component uses

Sound (2 of 20 verified)

飘漂镖嫖瞟瓢剽缥膘嘌骠鳔螵鏢縹鰾瘭飄標摽

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartphjiewpʰew leaping flames (Shuōwén)

說文解字

《說文》：“，火飛也。从火、。與同意。”

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)

紀 jì record Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

己
己 Sound component
jǐ self

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 BC
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-SagartkiXk(r)əʔ leading thread

說文解字

《說文》：“紀，絲別也。从糸，己聲。”

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)

郵 yóu mail Traditional

Depicts delivering between cities (⻏) and borderlands (垂).

Components

垂
垂 Meaning component
chuí droop

Based on the original "borderlands" meaning of 垂.

⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

⻏ is a component form of 邑.

Character Evolution

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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangɢʷɯ

說文解字

境上行書舍。从邑、垂。垂，邊也。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)