川鲁粤苏浙闽湘徽
Chuān Lǔ Yuè Sū Zhè Mǐn Xiāng Huī

eight major cuisines

川 chuān stream

Pictograph of a river.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (4 of 10 verified)

顺训圳驯氚钏訓順馴釧

Meaning (1 of 4 verified)

圳侃夼巟

Iconic (1)

㐬

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsyhwent.l̥u[n] (MC -jwen is irregular)stream, river

說文解字

《說文》：“川，貫穿通流水也。《虞書》曰：‘濬巜距川’，言深巜之水會為川也。”

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)

鲁 lǔ, lǚ foolish, rude Simplified

Original meaning: tasty

Simplified form of 魯. Depicts a fish (魚) inside the mouth (甘). Based on the original meaning "tasty". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

鱼
鱼 SoundIconic component
yú fish
甘
甘 Iconic component
gān sweetness

Depicts something inside the mouth.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

噜撸橹氇镥

Sources

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

粤 yuè Guangdong and Guangxi provinces Simplified

No origin information available for this character yet.

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

苏 sū revive Simplified

Simplified form of 蘇. Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 穌 represents the sound.

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

办
办 Simplified component
bàn manage

Shorthand for the 穌 component in the traditional character 蘇.

Sources

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

浙 zhè Zhejiang province

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 折 represents the sound. Simplified form of 淛.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

折
折 Sound component
zhé, zhē, shé break off

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangʔljed

說文解字

江。水東至會稽山陰爲浙江。从水折聲。

Sources

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

闽 mǐn Fujian province Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 门 represents the sound. Simplified form of 閩.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
门
门 Sound component
mén, men door

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

湘 xiāng Hunan province

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 相 represents the sound.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

相
相 Sound component
xiāng, xiàng mutual

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangslaŋ
Unicodesiɑng

說文解字

水。出零陵陽海山，北入江。从水相聲。

Sources

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

徽 huī a badge

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartxjwɨjm̥ əjrope
Zhengzhanghmɯl
Unicodexiuəi

說文解字

衺幅也。一曰三糾繩也。从糸，微省聲。

Sources

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

魯 foolish, rude Traditional

Original meaning: tasty

Depicts a fish (魚) inside the mouth (甘). Based on the original meaning "tasty". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

魚
魚 SoundIconic component
yú fish
甘
甘 Iconic component
gān sweetness

Depicts something inside the mouth.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

擼櫓嚕

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartluX[r]ˤaʔ dull, blunt, simple
luXr.ŋˤaʔ (dialect > *rŋˤ- > *rˤ- > MC l-)(place name)

說文解字

《說文》：“魯，鈍詞也。从白，鮺省聲。《論語》曰：‘參也魯。’”

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)

粵 Guangdong and Guangxi provinces Traditional

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarthjwot[ɢ]ʷatgenerous, favorable
Zhengzhangɢʷad

說文解字

亏也。審愼之詞者。从亏从宷。《周書》曰：“粤三日丁亥。”

Sources

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

蘇 sū revive Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 穌 represents the sound.

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

穌
穌 SoundMeaning component
revive

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

囌

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartsus-ŋˤa revive

說文解字

《說文》：“蘇，桂荏也。从艸，穌聲。”

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)

閩 Fujian province Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 門 represents the sound.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
門
門 Sound component
mén, men door

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartminmrə[n]southern tribes
Zhengzhangmrɯn
mɯn
Unicodemyin

說文解字

東南越，蛇穜。从虫門聲。

Sources

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