蛇绿混杂岩
shé​lǜ​hùn​zá​yán

ophiolite

蛇 shé snake

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 它 represents the sound. Originally written as 它.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
它
它 SoundIconic component
tā it

Pictograph of a snake.

Change in sound

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartzyaeCə.lAj snake
yelaj 委蛇 compliant, complacent

說文解字

《說文》：“它，虫也。从虫而長，象冤曲垂尾形。上古艸居患它，故相問無它乎。蛇，它或从虫。”

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)

绿 lǜ green Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 录 represents the sound. Simplified form of 綠.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

录
录 Sound component
lù copy

Sources

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

混 hùn, hún to mix

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 昆 represents the sound.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

昆
昆 Sound component
kūn elder brother

Character Evolution

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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangɡuːnʔ
Unicodehuə̌n

說文解字

《說文》：“混，豐流也。从水，昆聲。”

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)

杂 zá mixed, various Simplified

Simplified form of 雜. Phonosemantic compound. 衣 represents the meaning and 集 represents the sound.

Components

九
九 Simplified component
jiǔ nine

Shorthand for the 衣 component in the traditional character 雜.

集
集 Remnant component
jí gather, collect

Shorthand for the 集 component in the traditional character 雜.

Component uses

Sound (1)

染

Sources

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

岩 yán cliff

The rocks 石 that make up a mountain 山

Components

山
山 Meaning component
shān mountain
石
石 Meaning component
shí stone

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartngæm[ŋ]ˤr[a]m (< uvular?)rocky, lofty
Zhengzhangŋraːm
Unicodengam

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang

綠 lǜ green Traditional

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

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

彔
彔 Sound component
lù to carve wood

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartljowkpə.rok light blue or green

說文解字

《說文》：“綠，帛青黃色也。从糸，彔聲。”

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)

雜 zá mixed, various Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 衣 represents the meaning and 集 represents the sound.

Components

衣
衣 Meaning component
yī clothes
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 衣 than it was in ancient scripts.
集
集 Sound component
jí gather, collect
Change in sound
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 集 than it was in ancient scripts.

Character Evolution

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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdzop[dz]ˤ[u]p mixed

說文解字

《說文》：“雜，五彩相會。从衣，集聲。”

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)