冥
míng

dark

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approved by Prismcool · Sep 5, 2024, 03:05 PM · Reviewed by Prismcool on Sep 5, 2024, 03:05 PM

Replaced source w/ web version

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Original meaning: to give birth to a child

Depicts two hands (𠬜) opening a woman's legs with a baby's head protruding out of it. Based on the original meaning "to give birth to a child", now written as 娩. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts the legs of a woman.

◎
◎ Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts a baby's head.

𠬜
𠬜 Iconic component
pān to climb

Depicts two hands facing away from each other. Modern form looks like 六.

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

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Xin 9-23 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmengmˤeŋ dark

說文解字

《說文》:“冥,幽也。从日,从六,冖聲。日數十,十六日而月始虧,幽也。”

Sources