宙
zhòu HSK7

time as concept

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approved by inralback19 · Dec 1, 2025, 12:57 PM

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Changed fields: isVerified, components

Phonosemantic compound. 宀 represents the meaning and 由 represents the sound.

Components

宀
宀 Meaning component
由
由 Sound component
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangl'ɯwɢs
Unicodedjhiòu

說文解字

《說文》：“宙，舟輿所極覆也。从宀，由聲。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)