蛾眉皓齿
é​méi​hào​chǐ

beautiful woman

蛾 é moth

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 我 represents the sound.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
我
我 Sound component
wǒ I; me

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartngaŋˤajsilkworm moth [Bombyx]
ngjeXm-qʰ(r)ajʔant
Zhengzhangŋaːl
ŋralʔ
Unicodengɑ

說文解字

羅也。从虫我聲。

Sources

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

眉 méi eyebrows

Depicts hair above the eye (目).

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts eyebrows.

目
目 Iconic component
mù eye

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
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

履媚湄嵋楣镅鹛猸

Iconic (1)

履

Remnant (1)

履

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmijmr[ə][r] eyebrow

說文解字

《說文》：“眉，目上毛也。从目，象眉之形，上象頟理也。”

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)

皓 hào bright

Phonosemantic compound. 白 represents the meaning and 告 represents the sound. Simplified form of 暠.

Components

白
白 Meaning component
bái, bai white
告
告 Sound component
gào tell

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangɡuːʔ
Unicodehɑ̌u

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

齿 chǐ teeth Simplified

Simplified form of 齒. Pictograph of a mouth full of teeth. The sound component 止 was added later.

Components

止
止 Sound component
zhǐ (foot), stop
𠚕
𠚕 IconicSimplified component
chǐ teeth

Depicts a mouth full of teeth.

Component uses

Meaning (3 of 12 verified)

龄龋龈啮龌龇龅龉龃龆龀𱌮

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

啮龊

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.139
Readings & variants
Unicode

齒 chǐ teeth Traditional

Pictograph of a mouth full of teeth. The sound component 止 was added later.

Components

止
止 Sound component
zhǐ (foot), stop
𠚕
𠚕 Iconic component
chǐ teeth

Depicts a mouth full of teeth.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 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 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
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (3 of 15 verified)

齡齮齧齣齦齲齜齵齟齶齱嚙齙齷齬

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

齪嚙

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsyhiXt-[k]ʰə(ŋ)ʔ (or *t.ŋ̊əʔ)front teeth

說文解字

《說文》：“齒，口齗骨也。象口齒之形。止聲。，古文齒字。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.139
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)