绕膝承欢
rào​xī​chéng​huān

pleasing parents

绕 rào, rǎo entwine Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 尧 represents the sound. Simplified form of 繞.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

尧
尧 Sound component
yáo a legendary ancient emperor-sage

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

膝 xī knee

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 桼 represents the sound.

Components

⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

桼
桼 Sound component
qī varnish tree, lacquer

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartsits-tsik knee

Sources

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

承 chéng bear, carry

Pictograph of hands (廾, 手) carrying a person.

Components

卩
卩 Iconic component
jié person kneeling

Depicts a person being carried.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 卩 than it was in ancient scripts.
手
手 Iconic component
shǒu, shou hand
廾
廾 Iconic component
gǒng two hands
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 廾 than it was in ancient scripts.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 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 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 Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzying[m-t]əŋ receive

說文解字

《說文》：“承，奉也，受也。从手，从卪，从。”

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)

欢 huan, huān happy Simplified

Simplified form of 歡. Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound. 欠 (yawn) is a pictograph of a person with an open mouth, used here to represent a person joyfully laughing.

Components

又
又 Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the 雚 component in the traditional character 歡.

欠
欠 Iconic component
qiàn, qian yawn, deficient

Depicts a person opening their mouth to laugh.

Sources

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

繞 rào, rǎo entwine Traditional

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

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

堯
堯 Sound component
legendary ancient emperor-sage

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartnyewX[ŋ]ewʔ (< uvular?)curved
nyewH[ŋ]ewʔ-s (< uvular?)to wind round
Zhengzhangŋjewʔ
ŋjaws
Unicodenjiɛ̌u
njiɛ̀u

說文解字

纏也。从糸堯聲。

Sources

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

歡 huan, huān happy Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 欠 represents the meaning and 雚 represents the sound. 欠 (yawn) is a pictograph of a person with an open mouth, used here to represent a person joyfully laughing.

Components

雚
雚 Sound component
guàn, huán heron
欠
欠 Iconic component
qiàn, qian yawn, deficient

Depicts a person opening their mouth to laugh.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 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-Sagartxwanqʷʰˤar rejoice; joyous

說文解字

《說文》：“歡，喜樂也。从欠，雚聲。”

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)