正襟危坐
zhèng​jīn​wēi​zuò

sit upright

正 zhèng, zheng, zhēng correct

Original meaning: to attack (an enemy)

Depicts a foot (止) going out towards city walls (丁). 丁 also represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "to attack (an enemy)", now written as 征. The meaning of this character has shifted over time and now means "correct".

Components

丁
丁 SoundIconic component
dīng cubes

Depicts city walls.

Change in sound
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 丁 than it was in ancient scripts.
止
止 Iconic component
zhǐ (foot), stop

Depicts a foot.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (9 of 12 verified)

定政证整征延症怔焉罡钲鉦

Iconic (1)

征

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

歪

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsyengC.teŋ 1st (month)
tsyengHteŋ-s correct (adj., v.)

說文解字

《說文》：“正，是也。从止，一以止。，古文正，从二，二，古上字。，古文正，从一、足，足者，亦止也。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.120
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

襟 jīn lapel

Cloth 衤 that restricts 禁; 禁 also provides the pronunciation

Components

衤
衤 Meaning component
yī clothes
禁
禁 SoundMeaning component
jìn, jīn prohibit, forbid

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkimkr[ə]moverlap of a robe
Zhengzhangkrɯm
Unicodegyim

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang

危 wēi dangerous

Phonosemantic compound. 卩 represents the meaning and 厃 represents the sound.

Components

厃
厃 SoundIconic component
zhān, wěi high and dangerous, look upward

Depicts a person (人) standing precariously on the edge of a cliff (厂).

卩
卩 Meaning component
jié person kneeling

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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 4 verified)

跪诡桅詭

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

脆臲

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartngjwe[ŋ](r)[o]j in danger

說文解字

《說文》：“危，在高而懼也。从厃，自卪止之。”

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)

坐 zuò sit

Depicts two people (人) sitting on the ground (土).

Components

人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person
人
人 Iconic component
rén, ren person
土
土 Iconic component
tǔ earth

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 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
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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

座挫唑锉痤矬脞銼

Meaning (1)

座

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzwaX[dz]ˤo[j]ʔ sit
dzwaXm-[dz]ˤo[j]ʔ to set
dzwaH[dz]ˤo[j]ʔ-s seat n.

說文解字

《說文》：“，止也。从土，从留省，土，所止也。此與留同意。坐，古文坐。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.909
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)