Original meaning: to dig
Depicts holding a sharp wooden stick (弋) in the hand (又) to dig up dirt. Based on the original meaning "to dig". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | syuwk | s-tiwk | gather, harvest |
| syuwk | s-tiwk | 3rd of 4 brothers |
說文解字
《說文》：“叔，拾也。从又，尗聲。汝南名收芋為叔。，叔或从寸。”
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)
Pictograph of a hand holding something. The exact nature of the object is unclear. Variously explained as a rod or a hatchet.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | pjuX | p(r)aʔ | (respectful suffix in male names) |
| bjuX | [N-p](r)aʔ | father |
說文解字
《說文》：“父，矩也，家長率教者。从又舉杖。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.200-201
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)