东方大苇莺
dōng​fāng​dà​wěi​yīng

oriental reed warbler

东 dōng east Simplified

Pictograph of a basket or a bag. The current meaning "east" is a phonetic loan. The simplified character 东 was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 東.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

冻栋胨鸫岽

Unknown (1)

陈

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.492-493漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

方 fāng, fang square

Original meaning: cutting edge

Depicts the cutting edge (一) of a knife blade (刀). Similar in origin to 亡. Based on the original meaning "cutting edge". The meaning later expanded to "perimeter", "area", and "square".

Components

刀
刀 Iconic component
dāo knife
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 刀 than it was in ancient scripts.
一
一 Iconic component
yī one

Depicts the cutting edge of a knife.


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
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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

Sound (6 of 20 verified)

放房防旁访仿芳妨纺坊肪彷舫鲂枋钫邡訪紡昉

Meaning (2 of 11 verified)

旁旋旌旖旎枋旆旒旄邊旉

Unknown (0 of 4 verified)

愣楞塄堃

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartpjangC-paŋ square
pjangpaŋ method
pjangpaŋ just, then

說文解字

《說文》：“方，併船也。象兩舟省緫頭形。汸，方或从水。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.685-686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)

大 dà, dài big

Depicts an adult man facing forward and standing erect. The meaning later shifted to "big".

Character Evolution

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 Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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
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

Component uses

Meaning (9 of 21 verified)

去太奇套尖奈赤契夸奎奢奕叁奘夯奁夼尜奩奓𢧤

Iconic (21)

天因美夫央亦乘衡牵熊夹爽奚鬱粦耎夨叕夾椉業

Sound (6 of 11 verified)

太达夺泰驮耷奪馱忕羍旲

Simplified (4)

类奖奋庆

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

爨䙴

Deleted (1)

业

Remnant (1)

椉

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdaHlˤat-s (MC F!)big
dajHlˤa[t]-s big

說文解字

《說文》：“大，天大、地大、人亦大，故大象人形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.764
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

苇 wěi reed Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 韦 represents the sound. Simplified form of 葦.

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

韦
韦 Sound component
wéi, huí tanned leather

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

莺 yīng oriole Simplified

Simplified form of 鶯. Phonosemantic compound. 鳥 represents the meaning and 𤇾 represents the sound.

Components

𤇾
𤇾 SoundSimplified component
yìng glimmer
鸟
鸟 Meaning component
niǎo bird

Sources

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

東 dōng east Traditional

Pictograph of a basket or a bag. The current meaning "east" is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

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 Early Western Zhou ~1000 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
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 6 verified)

重童鶇棟腖凍

Iconic (4)

重量熏㯥

Remnant (1)

量

Unknown (1)

陳

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttuwngtˤoŋ (< *tˤoŋʔ ?)east

說文解字

《說文》：“東，動也。从木。官溥說，从日在木中。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.492-493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)

葦 wěi reed Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 韋 represents the sound.

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

韋
韋 Sound component
(surround a city), tanned leather

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
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
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangɢʷɯlʔ
Unicodehiuə̌i

說文解字

大葭也。从艸韋聲。

Sources

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

鶯 oriole Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 鳥 represents the meaning and 𤇾 represents the sound.

Components

𤇾
𤇾 Sound component
yìng glimmer
鳥
鳥 Meaning component
niǎo bird

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangqreːŋ
Unicodeqɛng

說文解字

《說文》：“鶯，鳥也。从鳥，榮省聲。《詩》曰：‘有鶯其羽。’”

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)