缓降器
huǎn​jiàng​qì

descender

缓 huǎn slow Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 爰 represents the sound. Simplified form of 緩.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

爰
爰 Sound component
yuán pull, draw, lead on

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

降 jiàng, xiáng descend

Depicts two feet (夅) descending down a hill (阝).

Components

阝
阝 Iconic component
fù hill, place

阝 is a component form of 阜. Depicts a hill.

夅
夅 SoundIconic component
jiàng, xiáng to descend

Depicts two feet walking down a hill.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 475-221 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkaewngHkˤruŋ-s (? < *-[u]m-s)descend
haewngm-kˤru[ŋ] (? < *-[u]m)submit

說文解字

《說文》：“降，下也。从，夅聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫張世超《金文形義通解》p.3353
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

器 qì receptacle

Origin unclear.

Components

㗊
㗊 Unknown component
jí, léi clamour, noise
犬
犬 Unknown component
quǎn dog

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn ~600 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
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 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-SagartkhijH[kʰ]r[ə][t]-s vessel; instrument

說文解字

《說文》：“器，皿也。象器之口，犬所以守之。”

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)

緩 huǎn slow Traditional

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

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

爰
爰 Sound component
yuán pull, draw, lead on

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthwanX[ɢ]ʷˤa[n]ʔslack; slow
Zhengzhangɢʷaːnʔ
Unicodehuɑ̌n

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica