货币兑换
huò​bì​duì​huàn

currency exchange

货 huò goods Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 化 represents the sound. Simplified form of 貨.

Components

化
化 Sound component
huà change
贝
贝 Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China, shells were used as currency.

Sources

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

币 bì currency Simplified

Simplified form of 幣. Phonosemantic compound. 巾 represents the meaning and 敝 represents the sound.

Components

丿
丿 Simplified component
piě, yì line

Shorthand for the phonetic 敝 component in the traditional character 幣.

巾
巾 Meaning component
jīn cloth

Sources

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

兑 duì, ruì, duó exchange Simplified

Original meaning: joyous

Simplified form of 兌. Depicts words (八) coming out of a person's (人) mouth (口).

Components

八
八 IconicSimplified component
bā eight

Represents words coming out of the mouth.

口
口 Iconic component
kǒu, kou mouth
人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person

Component uses

Sound (5 of 7 verified)

说税脱阅锐悦説

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

蜕

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdwajHlˤot-s passage; opening
dwajHlˤot-s glad

Sources

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

换 huàn change Simplified

Simplified form of 換. Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 奐 represents the sound.

Components

扌
扌 Meaning component
shou, shǒu hand

扌 is a component form of 手.

奂
奂 Sound component
huàn be numerous

Sources

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

貨 huò goods Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 貝 represents the meaning and 化 represents the sound.

Components

化
化 Sound component
huà change
貝
貝 Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China, shells were used as currency.

Character Evolution

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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxwaHqʷʰˤaj-s (movable) property, goods

說文解字

《說文》：“貨，財也。从貝，化聲。”

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)

幣 bì currency Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 巾 represents the meaning and 敝 represents the sound.

Components

敝
敝 Sound component
bì worn out
巾
巾 Meaning component
jīn cloth

Character Evolution

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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartbjiejH[b]e[t]-s offering of silk

說文解字

《說文》：“幣，帛也。从巾，敝聲。”

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)

兌 exchange Traditional

Original meaning: joyous

Depicts words (八) coming out of a person's (人) mouth (口).

Components

八
八 Iconic component
bā eight

Represents words coming out of the mouth.

口
口 Iconic component
kǒu, kou mouth
人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (4 of 7 verified)

說脫閱銳稅蛻悅

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

蛻

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

《說文》：“兌，說也。从儿，聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

換 huàn change Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 奐 represents the sound.

Components

扌
扌 Meaning component
shou, shǒu hand

扌 is a component form of 手.

奐
奐 Sound component
be numerous

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthwanH[ɢ]ʷˤa[n]-s change

說文解字

《說文》：“換，易也。从手，奐聲。”

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)