辨识
biàn​shí

identify

辨 biàn distinguish

Original meaning: to cut into two parts

刂 (knife) added between two 辛 (chisel) components or 辡 conveying the original meaning "to cut into two parts". The meaning has shifted over time and now means "distinguish". 辡 also provides the sound.

Components

辡
辡 SoundIconic component
biàn criminals accusing one another

Here used to depict an object being cut into two parts. 辡 also gives the sound.

刂
刂 Iconic component
dāo knife

Depicts a knife.


Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartbjenX[b]renʔ distinguish

說文解字

《說文》：“辦，判也。从刀，辡聲。”

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)

识 shi, shí recognize Simplified

Simplified from 識. Phonosemantic compound. 讠 represents the meaning and 只 represents the sound.

Components

讠
讠 Meaning component
yán speech

讠 is a component form of 言.

只
只 Sound component
zhǐ, zhī only

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

識 shi, shí recognize Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 言 represents the meaning and 戠 represents the sound.

Components

言
言 Meaning component
yán speech
戠
戠 Sound component
zhī, zhí to gather

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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-Sagartsyiks-tək know
tsyiHtək-s remember, commemorate

說文解字

《說文》：“識，常也。一曰知也。从言，戠聲。”

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)