Depicts a mouth (今) facing a shell (贝). In ancient China, shells were used as currency. 今 also represents the sound. Simplified form of 貪.
Components
Traditional
Depicts a mouth (今) facing a shell (貝). In ancient China, shells were used as currency. 今 also represents the sound.
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | thom | r̥ˤ[ə]m | to covet |
說文解字
《說文》：“貪，欲物也。从貝，今聲。”
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)