单音节 Origin — Chinese Character Wiki

dān single Simplified

Original meaning: hunting tool

Simplified form of 單. Pictograph of a hunting tool or weapon constructed from rocks tied to a tree branch. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Component uses

Sources

Character origin: 漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.105中華語文知識庫
Readings & variants: Unicode

yīn sound

Originally the same as 言 (speech) but with an extra line added in the mouth (口) to distinguish the two characters.

Components

言 Iconic component

yán speech

Depicts a tongue sticking out of the mouth.

Change in form

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

◎ Distinguishing component

characterless component

Mark to distinguish 音 from 言.

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC

Seal form — Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

暗黯谙歆喑窨揞諳

Meaning (2 of 5 verified)

意韵韶響韻

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	'im	[q](r)əm	sound, tone

說文解字

《說文》：“音，聲也。生於心有節於外謂之音；宮商角徵羽聲；絲竹金石匏土革木音也。从言，含一。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.164-165
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

jié holiday Simplified

Original meaning: bamboo joint

Simplified form of 節. Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 即 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bamboo joint". Later used as a measure word for segments and divisions of time.

Components

艹 Meaning Simplified component

cao, cǎo grass

Shorthand for the ⺮ component in the traditional character 節.

卩 Sound Simplified component

jié person kneeling

Shorthand for the 即 component in the traditional character 節.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

栉

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

栉

Sources

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

dān single Traditional

Original meaning: hunting tool

Pictograph of a hunting tool or weapon constructed from rocks tied to a tree branch. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (4 of 15 verified)

蟬鼉禪簞闡彈撣囅戰憚嘽嬋殫癉鄲

Iconic (2)

兽獸

Simplified (1)

兽

Unknown (0 of 1 verified)

蘄

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	dzyen	dar (< *[d]ar)	單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)
	tan	Cə.tˤar	single, simple

說文解字

《說文》：“單，大也。从吅、，吅亦聲。闕。”

Sources

Character origin: 漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.105中華語文知識庫
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

jié holiday Traditional

Original meaning: bamboo joint

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 即 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bamboo joint". Later used as a measure word for segments and divisions of time.