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Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC 
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD 
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC Regular Modern
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Components
Character Evolution
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | khejH | [kʰ]ˤet-s | script notches |
| khet | kʰˤet | 契闊 hard-working (Ode 31.4) | |
| khet | kʰˤet | cut |
說文解字
《說文》：“契，大約也。从大，从。《易》曰：‘後代聖人易之以書契。’”
Sources
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)