Original meaning: solid, difficult to break
Depicts a hook-shaped weapon made out of copper. Based on the original meaning "solid, difficult to break". The meaning later shifted to "good" and "lucky".
Components
口 Distinguishing component
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | kjit | C.qi[t] (*C.q- > *k-, escaping palatalization) | auspicious |
說文解字
《說文》：“吉，善也。从士、口。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.98-99漢語多功能字庫林志強《《文源》評注》p.93-94
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Simplified
Original meaning: good
Simplified form of 慶. Depicts a legendary animal considered to be good (廌) and a heart (心).
Components
广 Simplified component
Shorthand for the top part of the traditional character 慶.
大 Simplified component
Shorthand for the bottom part of the traditional character 慶.
Sources
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
Traditional
Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | khjaengH | [kʰ]raŋ-s | happy, rejoice |
說文解字
《說文》：“慶，行賀人也。从心，从夊，吉禮以鹿皮為贄，故从鹿省。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.791-792
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)