首倡
shǒu​chàng

initiate

首 shǒu head

Pictograph of a head (hair above a face with an eye).

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 Qin 221-206 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (4)

县页頁縣

Meaning (0 of 3 verified)

馗艏馘

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

道艏

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsyuwXl̥uʔ head
syuwHl̥uʔ-s turn the head towards

說文解字

《說文》：“首，同，古文也。巛象髮，謂之鬊，鬊即巛也。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.700
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

倡 chàng guide

Someone 亻 who lights the way 昌; 昌 also provides the pronunciation

Components

亻
亻 Meaning component
rén person
昌
昌 SoundMeaning component
chāng, chàng prosperous

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsyhangHmə-tʰaŋ-sto lead (in singing)
Zhengzhangtʰjaŋ
tʰjaŋs
Unicodechiɑ̀ng
chiɑ̀ng

說文解字

樂也。从人昌聲。

Sources

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