轻于鸿毛
qīng​yú​hóng​máo

insignificant

轻 qīng light and quick, agile Simplified

Simplified form of 輕. Phonosemantic compound. 車 represents the meaning and 𢀖 represents the sound.

Components

车
车 Meaning component
chē cart, vehicle
𢀖
𢀖 Sound component
jīng, xíng warp (textile)

Sources

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

于 yú at Simplified

Original meaning: wind instrument

Pictograph of a musical wind instrument with a reed, which is now written as 竽. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

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 Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn ~600 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 475-221 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
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 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 (3 of 13 verified)

宇污吁迂盂芋圩竽纡盱邘玗紆

Iconic (1)

竽

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthjuɢʷ(r)a go; at
hjuɦʷa (< *ɢʷ(r)a)單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)

說文解字

《說文》：“于，於也。象气之舒于。从丂，从一。一者，其气平之也。”

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)

鸿 hóng, hòng species of wild swan Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 鸟 represents the meaning and 江 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鴻.

Components

鸟
鸟 Meaning component
niǎo bird
江
江 Sound component
jiāng large river

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

毛 máo, mao hair

Pictograph of a feather.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 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
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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (3 of 18 verified)

表毫笔毯毡蚝氅牦旄毽氇氆毵氍毳毹毪氈

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

耗髦耄蚝牦旄酕氂

Simplified (1)

笔

Iconic (1)

尾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmawC.mˤaw hair

說文解字

《說文》：“毛，眉髮之屬及獸毛也。象形。”

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)

輕 qīng light and quick, agile Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 車 represents the meaning and 巠 represents the sound.

Components

車
車 Meaning component
chē cart, vehicle
巠
巠 Sound component
jīng warp (textile)

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkhjieng[kʰ]eŋ (no palatalization before *-eŋ?)light (≠ heavy)

說文解字

《說文》：“輕，輕車也。从車，巠聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫Chinese Text Project
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

於 yū, wū in Traditional

Originally a variant form of 烏, which is a pictograph of a crow. The current use as a function word is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn ~600 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 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 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

淤瘀阏菸閼

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagart'u[ʔ]ˤa oh!
'jo[ʔ]a at (locative preposition)

說文解字

《說文》：“烏，孝鳥也。象形。孔子曰：‘烏，呼也。’取其助气，故以為烏呼。，古文烏，象形。於，象古文烏省。”

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)

鴻 species of wild swan Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 鳥 represents the meaning and 江 represents the sound.

Components

鳥
鳥 Meaning component
niǎo bird
江
江 Sound component
jiāng large river

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthuwng[ɡ]ˤoŋkind of wild goose
Zhengzhangɡoːŋ
ɡoːŋʔ
Unicodehung

說文解字

鴻鵠也。从鳥江聲。

Sources

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