概念驱动加工 Origin — Chinese Character Wiki

gài approximately

Original meaning: rod used to level off a heaped measure

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

Components

mù tree

Change in meaning

木 hints at the original meaning of 概, "rod used to level off a heaped measure", which is no longer the most common meaning of 概 in modern Mandarin.

既 Sound component

jì already

Change in sound

概 and 既 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
概 *[k]ˤə[t]-s
既 *[k]ə[t]-s

Character Evolution

Seal form — Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD

Clerical form — Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kojH	[k]ˤə[t]-s	to strickle

說文解字

《說文》：“，斗斛。从木，既聲。邵瑛羣經正字：“今經典多作概。”

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)

niàn think of, ready

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 今 represents the sound.

Components

心 Meaning component

xīn, xin heart

今 Sound component

jīn now

Change in sound

念 and 今 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Middle Chinese.
念 nemH
今 kim

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1 of 6 verified)

捻鲶稔埝鯰唸

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

谂

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	nemH	nˤim-s	think of

說文解字

《說文》：“念，常思也。从心，今聲。”

Sources

Character origin: 李学勤《字源》p.927
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

qū spur a horse on Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 马 represents the meaning and 区 represents the sound. Simplified form of 驅.

Components

马 Meaning component

mǎ horse

区 Sound component

qū area

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

dòng move Simplified

Simplified form of 動. Phonosemantic compound. 力 represents the meaning. The sound component 重 was simplified to 云.

Components

力 Meaning component

lì, li power

云 Simplified component

yún clouds

Shorthand based on the cursive form of the 重 component in the traditional character 動.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

恸

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

恸

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

jiā add

Depicts making loud noises with the mouth (口) to add power (力) during manual labor.

Components

力 Meaning component

lì, li power

口 Meaning component

kǒu, kou mouth

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (6 of 17 verified)

架驾贺嘉咖迦伽茄枷瘸袈痂珈跏笳賀駕

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

珈哿

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kae	kˤraj	add

說文解字

《說文》：“加，語相增加也。从力，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)

gōng work

Depicts a tool with a blade.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (11 of 23 verified)

空功红项江攻贡虹巩缸扛杠肛汞邛讧紅貢豇項仝舡訌 show all 23 show fewer

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	kuwng	kˤoŋ	officer
	kuwng	kˤoŋ	work

說文解字

《說文》：“工，巧飾也。象人有規榘也。與巫同意。，古文工从彡。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.381-382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)

qū spur a horse on Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 馬 represents the meaning and 區 represents the sound.

Components

馬 Meaning component

mǎ horse

區 Sound component

qū area

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	khju	[k]ʰ(r)o	drive (horses) forward
Zhengzhang		kʰo
		kʰos
Unicode	kio

說文解字

馬馳也。从馬區聲。

Sources

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

dòng move Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 力 represents the meaning and 重 represents the sound.

Components

力 Meaning component

lì, li power

重 Sound component

zhòng, chóng heavy

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

慟

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

慟

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	duwngX	[Cə-m-]tˤoŋʔ	move

說文解字

《說文》：“動，作也。从力，重聲。，古文動从辵。”

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)

概 gài approximately

Components

Character Evolution

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

念 niàn think of, ready

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (1 of 6 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

驱 qū spur a horse on Simplified

Components

Sources

动 dòng move Simplified

Components

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

加 jiā add

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (6 of 17 verified)

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

工 gōng work

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (11 of 23 verified)

Meaning (3 of 7 verified)

Iconic (4)

Unknown (0 of 3 verified)

Simplified (1)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

驅 qū spur a horse on Traditional

Components

Character Evolution

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

動 dòng move Traditional

Components

Character Evolution

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

Historical Pronunciations

說文解字

Sources

gài approximately

niàn think of, ready

qū spur a horse on Simplified

dòng move Simplified

jiā add

gōng work

qū spur a horse on Traditional

dòng move Traditional