柔肠寸断
róu​cháng​cùn​duàn

heartbroken

柔 róu soft, flexible

Phonosemantic compound. 矛 represents the sound and 木 represents the meaning.

Components

矛
矛 Sound component
máo spear
Change in sound
木
木 Meaning component
mù tree

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 5 verified)

揉蹂鞣糅猱

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

揉鞣

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartnyuwnu soft

說文解字

《說文》：“柔，木曲直也。从木，矛聲。”

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)

肠 cháng intestines Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 昜 represents the sound. Simplified form of 腸.

Components

⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

昜
昜 Sound component
yáng bright

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

寸 cùn, cun (hand), inch

Original meaning: pulse point on wrist

Pictograph of a hand with a line marking a spot on the wrist. In traditional Chinese medicine this spot on the wrist where the pulse can be taken is called the 寸口.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Iconic (24)

对得将专射守付封尊夺耐冠辱尉肘虢將寽㝵尃對奪尌專

Sound (2 of 7 verified)

村尊忖纣酎紂吋

Meaning (5 of 6 verified)

导讨寺討導吋

Simplified (4)

时过专衬

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttshwonH[tsʰ]ˤu[n]-s thumb; inch

說文解字

《說文》：“寸，十分也。人手卻一寸動，謂之寸口。从又，从一。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.233-234
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

断 duàn sever Simplified

Simplified form of 斷. Depicts cutting off threads (㡭) with an axe (斤)

Components

米
米 Simplified component
mǐ rice

Shorthand for the 㡭 component in the traditional character 斷.

斤
斤 Iconic component
jīn axe

Character Evolution

Clerical form
Clerical Jin 266-420 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

簖

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica

腸 cháng intestines Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 昜 represents the sound.

Components

⺼
⺼ Meaning component
ròu meat, flesh

⺼ is a component form of 肉.

昜
昜 Sound component
yáng bright

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartdrjanglraŋintestines
Zhengzhangl'aŋ
Unicodedjhiɑng

說文解字

大小腸也。从肉昜聲。

Sources

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

斷 duàn break, sever Traditional

Depicts cutting off threads (㡭) with an axe (斤)

Components

㡭
㡭 Iconic component
jì continue
斤
斤 Iconic component
jīn axe

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 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
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdwanXN-tˤo[n]ʔ be cut in two
twanXtˤo[n]ʔ cut in two
twanHtˤo[n]ʔ-s cut off; decide

說文解字

《說文》：“，截也。从斤，从。，古文絕。，古文从，，古文叀字。《周書》曰：‘猗無他技。’亦古文。”

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)