liǎng two Simplified

Simplified form of . Combination of two characters. also represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
bǐng third
Change in sound
Sound component
bǐng third

Component uses

Sound (3 of 4 verified)

Unknown (0 of 3 verified)

Meaning (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.617-618漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

àn shore, bank

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
yǎn, è tall mountain
Sound component
gàn, gān interfere

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

Remnant (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartnganH[ŋ]ˤa[r]-s bank of a river

說文解字

《說文》:“岸,水厓而高者。从屵,干聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

fú, fu clothes

Original meaning: submit, serve

Combination of (plate) and subdue (𠬝). Based on the original meaning "serve" or "submit". alludes to serving a plate.

Components

Meaning component
fán all

Depicts a plate.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
𠬝
𠬝 SoundMeaning component
subdue

Depicts a kneeling person being subdued.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Eastern Han 25-220 AD
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartbjuwk[b]ək quiver (n.)
bjuwk[b]ək garment; wear (v.)
bjuwk[b]ək subdue, submit
bjuwX[b]əʔ box of a carriage

說文解字

《說文》:“服,用也。一曰車右騑,所以舟旋。从舟,聲。,古文服,从人。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

wu, wù business Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the sound, while and both represent the meaning. The traditional component was removed for simplification.

Components

Deleted component
máo spear
Meaning component
tap

is a component form of .

Meaning component
lì, li power

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

mào trade Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of 貿.

Components

Sound component
mǎo 4th terrestrial branch
Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China shells were used as currency.

Sources

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

easy

Original meaning: to bestow, give

Upside-down version of , depicting food or drink being poured from a container (). Based on the original meaning "to bestow, give", now written as . The meaning later shifted to "exchange", "change", and "easy".

Components

Iconic component
mǐn, mǐng dish

Depicts a vessel for holding food or drink.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to than it was in ancient scripts.
Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts food or drink being poured from a container.


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 Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~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
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 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 11 verified)

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartyeHlek-s easy
yeklek change; exchange

說文解字

《說文》:“易,蜥易,蝘蜓,守宮也。象形。《秘書》說,日月為易,象陰陽也。一曰从勿。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

xié cooperate Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the sound and represents the meaning.

Components

Sound component
shí ten
Simplified component
bàn manage

Shorthand for the component in the traditional character .

Sources

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

consult Simplified

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
yán speech

is a component form of .

Sound component
justice

Sources

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

liǎng two Traditional

Combination of two characters. also represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
bǐng third
Change in sound
Sound component
bǐng third

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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
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
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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 3 verified)

Meaning (2)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartljangXp.raŋʔ a pair

說文解字

《說文》:“兩,二十四銖為一兩。从一;,平分,亦聲。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.617-618漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

wu, wù business Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the sound, while and both represent the meaning.

Components

Sound component
máo spear
Change in sound
Meaning component
tap

is a component form of .

Meaning component
lì, li power

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmjuHm(r)o-s exert oneself

說文解字

趣也。从力敄聲。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

貿 mào trade Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
mǎo 4th terrestrial branch
Meaning component
bèi sea shell

In ancient China shells were used as currency.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmuwHmru-s barter (v.)

說文解字

《說文》:“貿,易財也。从貝,丣聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

xié cooperate Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Sound component
shí ten
SoundMeaning component
xié, liè cooperate, combined labor

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Qin 221-206 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthep[ɢ]ˤep in harmony

說文解字

《說文》:“協,眾之同和也。从劦,从十。旪,古文協,从曰、十。叶,或从口。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica

consult Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
yán speech
Sound component
right conduct

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartngjeHŋ(r)aj-s discuss

說文解字

《說文》:“議,語也。从言,義聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica