Simplified
Original meaning: warp thread
Simplified form of 經. Originally written 巠, which depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom. The 纟 (thread) component was added later. Based on the original meaning "warp thread". The meaning later expanded to "pass through", "regulate", and "classic books".
Components
Origin unclear. Composed of 辛 (chisel) and 丙 (pedestal) with 口 being later added as a distinguishing component for the name of an ancient kingdom.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | syang | s-taŋ | musical note |
| syang | s-taŋ | (place name) | |
| syang | s-taŋ | estimate; business; trader |
說文解字
《說文》：“商，从外知內也。从，章省聲。，古文商。，亦古文商。，籀文商。”
Sources
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Traditional
Original meaning: warp thread
Originally written 巠, which depicts weaving vertical (warp) threads on a loom. The 糹 (thread) component was added later. Based on the original meaning "warp thread". The meaning later expanded to "pass through", "regulate", and "classic books".
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | keng | k-lˤeŋ | loom; regulate; norm |
說文解字
《說文》：“經，織也。从糸，巠聲。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.804
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)