Original meaning: military troops outside the main group
Phonosemantic compound. 戈 represents the meaning and 䖒 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "military troops outside the main group". The meaning later shifted to "sport" and "play".
戈 hints at the original meaning of 戲, "military troops outside the main group",
which is no longer the most common meaning of 戲 in modern Mandarin.
Character Evolution
BronzeEarly Western Zhou~1000 BCBronzeEarly Western Zhou~1000 BCBronzeMid Western Zhou~900 BCBronzeLate Western Zhou~800 BCBronzeEarly Spring and Autumn~700 BCSealShuowen~100 ADClericalQin221-206 BCClericalThree Kingdoms (Cao Wei)222-280 ADRegularModern