← Back to history approved by inralback19 · Jan 16, 2026, 06:46 PM · Reviewed by inralback19 on Feb 18, 2026, 02:01 AM
Changed fields: hint, originalMeaning, isVerified, components, customSources
Original meaning: adornment
Phonosemantic compound. 贝 represents the meaning and 卉 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "adornment". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components Change in sound 贲 and 犇 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar
in older Chinese. Change in form Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 犇 than it was in ancient scripts. Change in meaning 贝 hints at the original meaning of 贲 , "adornment",
which is no longer the most common meaning of 贲 in modern Mandarin.