The character was originally depicted moonlight (月) shining through a window (囧). The 囧 component was later reanalyzed as 日 (sun).
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mjaeng | mraŋ | bright |
說文解字
《說文》：“朙，照也。从月，从囧。明，古文朙，从日。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.551-552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)
Pictograph of a man with writing (possibly a tattoo) on his chest. In later scripts the writing was abbreviated to a dot or omitted altogether.
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | mjun | mə[n] | ornate |
說文解字
《說文》：“文，錯畫也。象交文。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 季旭昇《說文新證》p.706
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)
Simplified
Original meaning: compass; a kind of drawing tool
Simplified form of 規. Depicts a kind of drawing tool for drawing circles with. The 见 (see) component was later added to suggest watching something being drawn. Based on the original meaning "compass; a kind of drawing tool", now written as 椝. The meaning has shifted over time and now means "rules".
Components
Component uses
Sound (0 of 1 verified)
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫Wenlin Dictionaries
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | dengH | N-tˤeŋ-s | become fixed; settled (v.i.) |
| dengH | m-tˤeŋ-s | make fixed, settle (v.t.) | |
| tengH | tˤeŋ-s | ready-cooked (food) |
說文解字
《說文》：“定，安也。从宀，从正。”
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)
Traditional
Original meaning: compass; a kind of drawing tool
Depicts a kind of drawing tool for drawing circles with. The 見 (see) component was later added to suggest watching something being drawn. Based on the original meaning "compass; a kind of drawing tool", now written as 槼. The meaning has shifted over time and now means "rules".
Components
Character Evolution
Component uses
Sound (0 of 1 verified)
Historical Pronunciations
| Middle Chinese | Old Chinese | Gloss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter-Sagart | kjwie | kʷe | compass, circle |
說文解字
《說文》：“規，有法度也。从夫，从見。”
Sources
- Character origin
- 漢語多功能字庫Wenlin Dictionaries
- Readings & variants
- Unicode
- Historical pronunciations
- Baxter-Sagart
- Historical images
- Academia Sinica
- Etymology
- Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)