当官不为民做主不如回家卖红薯 Origin

dāng, dàng, dang to match Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 田 represents the meaning and 尚 represents the sound. The simplified character 当 was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 當.

Components

彐 Simplified component

jì snout

Shorthand for the 田 component in the traditional character 當.

尚 Sound Simplified Remnant component

shàng, shang esteem

Shorthand for the 尚 component in the traditional character 當.

Component uses

Sound (2 of 6 verified)

档挡裆铛筜𪠽

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

挡

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

guān official

Depicts an official person (師) working in a governmental institution (宀).

Components

宀 Meaning component

mián roof

師 Meaning Remnant component

shī teacher

𠂤 is used here as an abbreviation of 師.

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC

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

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (3 of 9 verified)

管馆棺倌绾涫菅逭館

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kwan	kʷˤa[n]	official (n.)

說文解字

《說文》：“官，吏事君也。从宀，从。猶眾也，此與師同意。”

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)

bù, bu no

Original meaning: sepals

Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	pjuw	pə	not
	pjuw	pə	不律 writing brush (pron. in Wú 吳 ap. Shuōwén; E. Hàn)

說文解字

《說文》：“不，鳥飛上翔不下來也。从一，一猶天也。象形。”

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)

wèi, wéi do Simplified

Simplified form of 為. Pictograph of a hand (又) guiding an elephant (象) to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".

Components

又 Iconic component

yòu hand

Change in form

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

象 Iconic Simplified component

xiàng elephant

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

伪沩

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.194
Readings & variants: Unicode

mín people

Original meaning: slave

Pictograph of an eye (目) being poked with something sharp. In ancient China, slaves were sometimes punished by blinding them with a sharp object. Based on the original meaning "slave". The meaning later shifted to "common person".

Components

目 Iconic component

mù eye

Change in form

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

◎ Iconic component

characterless component

Depicts a sharp object poking an eye.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 8 verified)

眠抿泯岷珉苠昬敃

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

氓

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	mjin	mi[ŋ]	people

說文解字

《說文》：“民，眾萌也。从古文之象。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.855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)

zuò work

做 originated as a variant form of 作.

Components

作 Sound Meaning component

zuò make

The right half of 作 was corrupted to look like unrelated 古.

Change in form

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

攵 Meaning component

pū tap

夂 is a component form of 攴.

Historical Pronunciations

	Old Chinese
Zhengzhang	ʔsaːɡs

Sources

Character origin: Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Zhengzhang Shangfang

zhǔ master

Original meaning: deity

Pictograph of a memorial tablet used for spiritual rituals, similar to 示.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (3 of 11 verified)

住注驻柱蛀拄炷麈疰駐註

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	tsyuX	toʔ	master; host

說文解字

《說文》：“主，鐙中火主也。从凵土，象形；从丶，丶亦聲。”

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)

rú be like

Original meaning: obey

Depicts a woman (女) obeying spoken (口) orders. Based on the original meaning "obey". The meaning later shifted to "be similar" and "like". 女 also serves as a sound component.

Components

女 Sound Iconic component

nǚ, nü woman

口 Iconic component

kǒu, kou mouth

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

恕絮茹洳铷

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	nyo	na	go to
	nyo	na	as, like, if

說文解字

《說文》：“如，从隨也。从女，从口。”

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)

huí return

Depicts water rotating around in a circle.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (2 of 6 verified)

徊蛔洄茴迴逥

Meaning (2 of 4 verified)

徊洄迴逥

Iconic (3)

没亘沒

Simplified (1)

没

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hwoj	[ɢ]ʷˤəj	go around

說文解字

《說文》：“回，轉也。从囗，中象回轉形。囘，古文。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.515-516
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

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

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)

mài, mai sell Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 出 represents the meaning and 买 represents the sound. Simplified form of 賣.

Components

出 Meaning component

chū go out

Change in form

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

买 Sound Meaning component

mǎi buy

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

赎渎牍椟觌

Meaning (0 of 3 verified)

赎犊黩

Simplified (1)

读

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

hóng red Simplified

Simplified form of 紅. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 工 represents the sound.

Components

纟 Meaning component

mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

工 Sound component

gōng work

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

荭

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

shǔ yam

Components

艹 Meaning component

cao, cǎo grass

plant

署 Sound component

shǔ public office

Historical Pronunciations

	Old Chinese
Zhengzhang	djas

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Zhengzhang Shangfang

dāng, dàng, dang to match Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 田 represents the meaning and 尚 represents the sound.

Components

田 Meaning component

tián field

尚 Sound component

shàng, shang esteem

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (2 of 7 verified)

簹儅噹檔鐺擋襠

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

擋

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	tang	tˤaŋ	match (v.); have the value of, rank with
	tangH	tˤaŋ-s	suitable

說文解字

《說文》：“當，田相值也。从田，尚聲。”

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)

wèi, wéi do Traditional

Originally written as 爲, which depicts a hand (又) guiding an elephant (象) to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".