Pictograph of a person (大) with a cangue (torture device for punishing criminals) around his neck. People wearing such devices were not able to reach their mouth with their own hands, and were forced to beg for food.
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | 'jang | ʔaŋ | end (v.) |
| 'jang | ʔaŋ | center (n.) |
說文解字
《說文》：“央，中央也。从大在冂之內。大，人也。央、旁同意。一曰久也。”
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 tongue extending from an open mouth. Visually similar to 舌 (tongue).
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | kawH | kˤuk-s | announce, inform |
| kowk | kˤuk | announce, inform |
說文解字
《說文》：“告，牛觸人，角箸橫木，所以告人也。从口，从牛。《易》曰：‘僮牛之告。’”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.95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)