锦标赛
jǐn​biāo​sài

championships

锦 jǐn brocade Simplified

Silk 帛 inlaid with gold 钅; 钅 also provides the pronunciation

Components

钅
钅 SoundMeaning component
jīn metal
帛
帛 Meaning component
bó silks

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

标 biāo mark, symbol Simplified

Simplified form of 標. Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 票 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
示
示 Simplified component
shì show

Shorthand for the 票 component in the traditional character 標.

Sources

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

赛 sài compete Simplified

Original meaning: thank offering

Simplified form of 賽. Phonosemantic compound. 貝 represents the meaning and 𡨄 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "thank offering". The meaning later shifted to "compete".

Components

𡨄
𡨄 Sound component
sāi, xià to stop up

𡨄 is a component form of 塞.

贝
贝 Meaning component
bèi sea shell

Shells were used as currency in ancient China.

Sources

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

錦 jǐn brocade Traditional

Silk 帛 inlaid with gold 釒; 釒 also provides the pronunciation

Components

釒
釒 SoundMeaning component
jīn metal
帛
帛 Meaning component
bó silks

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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkimXCə.k(r)[ə]mʔbrocade
Zhengzhangkrɯmʔ
Unicodegyǐm

說文解字

襄邑織文。从帛金聲。

Sources

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

標 biāo mark, symbol Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 票 represents the sound.

Components

木
木 Meaning component
mù tree
票
票 Sound component
piào slip of paper or bamboo

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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangpew
pewʔ
Unicodebiɛu

說文解字

《說文》：“，木杪末也，从木聲。”

Sources

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

賽 sài compete Traditional

Original meaning: thank offering

Phonosemantic compound. 貝 represents the meaning and 𡨄 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "thank offering". The meaning later shifted to "compete".

Components

𡨄
𡨄 Sound component
sāi, xià to stop up

𡨄 is a component form of 塞.

貝
貝 Meaning component
bèi sea shell

Shells were used as currency in ancient China.

Character Evolution

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 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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangslɯːɡs

說文解字

《說文新附》：“賽，報也。从貝，塞省聲。”

Sources

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