Pictograph of a person with a line added at the head area, representing the meaning "head" or "first".
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | ngjwon | [ŋ]o[r] (< nasal + uvular) | head; first |
說文解字
《說文》：“元，始也。从一，从兀。”
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)
Simplified
Simplified form of 帥. Depicts two hands pulling a long, vertical object. The original meaning is variously explained as pulling with a rope, or a belt-like garment. The meaning later shifted to "lead", "commander", and "handsome".
Components
刂 Simplified component
Shorthand for the left side of the traditional character 帥. Depicts something being pulled by two hands.
Traditional
Depicts two hands pulling a long, vertical object. The original meaning is variously explained as pulling with a rope, or a belt-like garment. The meaning later shifted to "lead", "commander", and "handsome".
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | srwijH | s-rut-s | leader (of an army) |
說文解字
《說文》：“帥，佩巾也。从巾，。帨，帥或从兌。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.620-621
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)