Original meaning: to capture
Pictograph of a net with a handle used for hunting. 今 was added later to represent the sound. Based on the original meaning "to capture", now written as 擒. The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "birds" and "fowl".
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | gim | [C.ɢ](r)[ə]m | bird; animal |
| gim | [C.ɢ](r)[ə]m | catch, capture |
說文解字
《說文》：“禽，走獸總名。从，象形，今聲。禽、离、兕，頭相似。”
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)
Traditional
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mjæng | m.reŋ | cry (of birds or animals) |
| Zhengzhang | mreŋ | ||
| Unicode | miæng |
說文解字
鳥聲也。从鳥从口。
Sources
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)