脚踏两只船
jiǎo​tà​liǎng​zhī​chuán

straddling

脚 jiǎo leg Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 却 represents the sound. Simplified form of 腳.

Components

⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

却
却 Sound component
què but

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkjak[k]ak leg, foot

Sources

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

踏 tà, tā step on

Components

足
足 Meaning component
zú foot

foot

沓
沓 Sound component
dá, tà crowded, repeated

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰuːb
Unicodetop

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

两 liǎng two Simplified

Simplified form of 兩. Combination of two 丙 characters. 丙 also represents the sound.

Components

丙
丙 Sound component
bǐng third
Change in sound
丙
丙 Sound component
bǐng third

Component uses

Sound (3 of 4 verified)

辆俩魉𬜯

Unknown (0 of 3 verified)

瞒蹒螨

Meaning (1)

俩

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.617-618漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

只 zhǐ, zhī only Simplified

Origin unclear. In simplified Chinese, in addition to the meaning "only", 只 is also used as a measure word. In traditional Chinese this meaning is written as 隻.

Character Evolution

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

Component uses

Sound (4 of 9 verified)

识织职积帜炽咫枳轵

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangklje
kljeʔ
Unicodejǐɛ

說文解字

《說文》：“只，語已詞也。从口，象氣下引之形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.149-150
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

船 chuán ship

Phonosemantic compound. 舟 represents the meaning and 㕣 represents the sound.

Components

舟
舟 Meaning component
zhōu boat
㕣
㕣 Sound component
yǎn a marsh at the foot of the hills
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartzywenCə.lo[n] boat

說文解字

《說文》：“船，舟也。从舟，鉛省聲。”

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)

腳 jiǎo leg Traditional

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

Components

⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

卻
卻 Sound component
què but

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkjak[k]ak leg, foot

說文解字

《說文》：“腳，脛也。从肉，卻聲。”

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)

兩 liǎng two Traditional

Combination of two 丙 characters. 丙 also represents the sound.

Components

丙
丙 Sound component
bǐng third
Change in sound
丙
丙 Sound component
bǐng third

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 Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 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 Warring States (Chu) 475-221 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 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 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

Component uses

Sound (2 of 3 verified)

魎倆輛

Meaning (2)

倆㒼

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartljangXp.raŋʔ a pair

說文解字

《說文》：“兩，二十四銖為一兩。从一；，平分，亦聲。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.617-618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)

隻 only Traditional

Depicts a hand (又) holding a bird (隹). 隻 is used as a measure word for birds, as well as some other animals and objects.

Components

隹
隹 Iconic component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird
又
又 Iconic component
yòu hand

Depicts a hand.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyektek single

說文解字

鳥一枚也。从又持隹。持一隹曰隻，二隹曰雙。

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)