Lài Chāng​xīng

Lai Changxing

lài depend on Simplified

Original meaning: profit

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "profit". The meaning later shifted to "rely on" and "blame". Simplified form of .

Components

Sound component
lá, là cut, slash
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China shells were used as currency.

Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "profit", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.

Component uses

Sound (1 of 5 verified)

Sources

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

chāng, chàng prosperous

Original meaning: call loudly

Originally composed of (mouth) and (sun), representing a call in the morning to wake people up at sunrise to start working. Based on the original meaning "call loudly", now written as . The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

Iconic component
sun
Iconic component
kǒu, kou mouth

The modern form looks like (to speak).

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 9 verified)

Meaning (0 of 3 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰjaŋ
Unicodechiɑng

說文解字

《說文》:“昌,美言也。从日,从曰。一曰日光也。《詩》曰:‘東方昌矣。’,籀文昌。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.536
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

xīng a star

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
sun
Sound component
shēng, sheng life

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 ~1200 - 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
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 (1 of 5 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartsengs-tsʰˤeŋ star

說文解字

《說文》:“曐,萬物之精,上為列星。从晶,生聲。一曰象形,从口,古口復注中,故與日同。,古文星。星,曐或省。”

Sources

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

lài depend on Traditional

Original meaning: profit

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "profit". The meaning later shifted to "rely on" and "blame".

Components

Sound component
lá, là cut, slash
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China shells were used as currency.

Change in meaning
hints at the original meaning of , "profit", which is no longer the most common meaning of in modern Mandarin.

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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartlajHrˤa[t]-s depend on

說文解字

《說文》:“賴,贏也。从貝,剌聲。”

Sources

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