国家发展和改革委员会 Origin — Chinese Character Wiki

guó nation Simplified

Simplified form of 國. Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 或 represents the sound.

Components

囗 Meaning component

wéi, guó surround

玉 Sound Simplified component

yù jade

Shorthand for the 或 component in the traditional character 國.

Change in sound

国 and 玉 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
国 *[C.q]ʷˤək
玉 *[ŋ](r)ok (< uvular?)

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

帼蝈掴

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

jiā, jia house

Phonosemantic compound. 宀 represents the meaning and a remnant of 豭 represents the sound.

Components

宀 Meaning component

mián roof

豭 Sound Remnant component

jiā boar

Left half of 豭 (boar).

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC

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

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

嫁稼镓傢

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kae	kˤra	household

說文解字

《說文》：“家，居也。从宀，豭省聲。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.589-590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)

fā, fa, fà issue Simplified

Simplified form of both 發 (send out) and 髮 (hair). Visually similar to 犮, the bottom component of 髮.

Component uses

Sound (2 of 4 verified)

废泼酦袯

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

拨

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

zhǎn, zhan open

Original meaning: roll over

Phonosemantic compound. 尸 represents the meaning and 𧝑 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "roll over". The meaning later shifted to "unfold", "spread out", and "develop".

Components

尸 Meaning component

shī sitting person

Depicts a person sitting or squatting.

𧝑 Sound Remnant component

zhàn royal silk clothing

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 6 verified)

辗碾輾冁搌囅

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	trjenX	trenʔ	roll over; unfold
	trjenH	tra[n]-s	ritual robe

說文解字

《說文》：“展，轉也。从尸，省聲。”

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)

hé, huo, he harmony

Phonosemantic compound. 口 represents the meaning and 禾 represents the sound.

Components

口 Meaning component

kǒu, kou mouth

禾 Sound component

hé grain stalk

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hwa	[ɢ]ˤoj	harmonious
	hwaH	[ɢ]ˤoj-s	tune (instruments); respond in singing

說文解字

《說文》：“咊，相譍也。从口，禾聲。”

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)

gǎi change

Phonosemantic compound. 攵 represents the meaning and 己 represents the sound.

Components

己 Sound component

jǐ self

Change in sound

改 and 己 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Middle Chinese.
改 kojX
己 kiX

攵 Meaning component

pū tap

攵 is a component form of 攴.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kojX	C.qˤəʔ	change (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“改，更也。从攴、己。”

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)

gé leather

Pictograph of an animal hide laying flat.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Meaning (6 of 26 verified)

勒鞋鞭鞘鞠靴鞍靶羁鞅靳鞑靼鞯鞣鞒鞔鞲鞮鞦羈鞏韆韃韁鞵 show all 26 show fewer

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

缂鞫

Unknown (0 of 1 verified)

霸

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	keak	kˤrək	hide, skin
	keak	kˤrək	change (v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“革，獸皮治去其毛，革更之，象古文之形。，古文革，从三十，三十年為一世，而道更也。臼聲。”

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)

wěi bent, winding

Depicts grain (禾) in a bent shape (𠃊).

Components

禾 Iconic component

hé grain stalk

𠃊 Iconic component

yǐn hidden area

Used here to depict a bent shape. Modern form looks like 女.

Change in form

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

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

魏矮萎倭诿痿逶諉

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	'jwe	q(r)oj	委蛇 compliant, complaisant
	'jweX	q(r)ojʔ	entrust to
	'jweX	q(r)ojʔ	collect; store
	'jweX	q(r)orʔ	bend; hang down

說文解字

《說文》：“委，委隨也。从女，从禾。”

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)

yuán member Simplified

Simplified form of 員. Depicts the round opening (口) of a cooking pot (鼎). Based on the original meaning "round", now written as 圓. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

◎ Iconic component

characterless component

Depicts a circle.

贝 Iconic Remnant component

bèi sea shell

Change in form

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

Component uses

Sound (2 of 8 verified)

损圆勋陨殒郧埙筼

Sources

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

huì, kuài to gather Simplified

Simplified form of 會. Phonosemantic compound. 合 represents the meaning and 𡆧 represents the sound.

Components

合 Meaning Simplified component

hé to join

𡆧 Sound Simplified component

guó ironware

Change in sound

会 and 𡆧 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.

Component uses

Sound (1 of 12 verified)

绘刽荟桧烩脍狯哙浍鲙郐𬭇

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

侩

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.442
Readings & variants: Unicode

guó nation Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 或 represents the sound.

Components

囗 Meaning component

wéi, guó surround

或 Sound component

huò or

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 4 verified)

膕幗蟈摑

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kwok	[C.q]ʷˤək	state (n.)

說文解字

《說文》：“國，邦也。从囗，从或。”

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)

fā, fa, fà send out Traditional

Depicts a hand pulling back an arrow (殳) in a bow (弓). 癶 represents the sound.

Components

癶 Sound component

bō legs

Change in sound

發 and 癶 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
發 *Cə.pat
癶 paːd

弓 Iconic component

gōng bow

Depicts a bow.

殳 Iconic component

shū weapon or tool

Depicts a hand pulling an arrow.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (2 of 3 verified)

醱廢潑

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

撥

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	pjot	Cə.pat	fly forth, send forth

說文解字

《說文》：“發，發也。从弓，癹聲。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.880-881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)

yuán member Traditional

Original meaning: round

Depicts the round opening (口) of a cooking pot (鼎). Based on the original meaning "round", now written as 圓. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

◎ Iconic component

characterless component

Depicts a circle.

鼎 Iconic Remnant component

dǐng, zhēn cooking pot

Change in form

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

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (2 of 8 verified)

韻損勛篔殞隕鄖圓

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hjwen	ɢʷ<r>en	circle; round
	hjun	[ɢ]ʷə[n]	(a particle)

說文解字

《說文》：“員，物數也。从貝，口聲。鼎，籀文从鼎。”

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)

huì, kuài to gather Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 合 represents the meaning and 𡆧 represents the sound.

Components

合 Meaning component

hé to join

Change in form

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

𡆧 Sound component

guó ironware

Change in sound

會 and 𡆧 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (2 of 11 verified)

劊癐噲膾廥檜燴繪𨭗薈鱠

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

儈廥

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hwajH	m-kˤop-s	meeting; have a meeting
	hwajH	ɦʷˤajs (< *m-kˤop-s)	阿會亘 ēhuìxuān: Skt. ābhāsvara ‘shining’ (E. Hàn)
	kwajH	kˤop-s	calculate; calculation

說文解字

《說文》：“會，合也。从亼，从曾省。曾，益也。令，古文會如此。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.442
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

国 guó nation Simplified

Components

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

家 jiā, jia house

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

发 fā, fa, fà issue Simplified

Component uses

Sound (2 of 4 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

展 zhǎn, zhan open

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (0 of 6 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

和 hé, huo, he harmony

Components

Character Evolution

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

改 gǎi change

Components

Character Evolution

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

革 gé leather

Character Evolution

Component uses

Meaning (6 of 26 verified)

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

Unknown (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

委 wěi bent, winding

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

员 yuán member Simplified

Components

Component uses

Sound (2 of 8 verified)

Sources

会 huì, kuài to gather Simplified

Components

Component uses

Sound (1 of 12 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

國 guó nation Traditional

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (0 of 4 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

發 fā, fa, fà send out Traditional

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (2 of 3 verified)

guó nation Simplified

jiā, jia house

fā, fa, fà issue Simplified

zhǎn, zhan open

hé, huo, he harmony

gǎi change

gé leather

wěi bent, winding

yuán member Simplified

huì, kuài to gather Simplified

guó nation Traditional

fā, fa, fà send out Traditional

yuán member Traditional

huì, kuài to gather Traditional