殚精竭虑
dān​jīng​jié​lǜ

rack one's brains

殚 dān utmost Simplified

Components

歹
歹 Meaning component
dǎi, è, dāi evil, bad

death

单
单 Sound component
dān single

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

精 jīng essence

Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 青 represents the sound.

Components

米
米 Meaning component
mǐ rice
青
青 Sound component
qīng green or blue

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
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
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-Sagarttsjengtseŋ fine rice; pure

說文解字

《說文》：“精，擇也。从米，青聲。”

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)

竭 jié put forth great effort

Phonosemantic compound. 立 represents the meaning and 曷 represents the sound.

Components

立
立 Meaning component
lì stand
曷
曷 Sound component
hé, è, hè why? what? where?

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartgjetN-[k](r)atexhaust (v.); dry up
Zhengzhangɡrad
ɡad
Unicodeghyɛt

說文解字

負舉也。从立曷聲。

Sources

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

虑 lǜ be concerned Simplified

Simplified form of 慮. Phonosemantic compound. 思 represents the meaning and 虍 represents the sound.

Components

虍
虍 Sound component
hū tiger

虍 is a component form of 虎.

Change in sound
心
心 Simplified component
xīn, xin heart

Shorthand for the 思 component in the traditional character 慮.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 2 verified)

滤摅

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode

殫 utmost Traditional

Components

歹
歹 Meaning component
dǎi, è, dāi evil, bad

death

單
單 Sound component
dān single

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtaːn

說文解字

殛盡也。从歺單聲。

Sources

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

慮 lǜ be concerned Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 思 represents the meaning and 虍 represents the sound.

Components

虍
虍 Sound component
hū tiger

虍 is a component form of 虎.

Change in sound
思
思 Meaning component
sī, si think

Character Evolution

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 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

藘鑢濾

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartljoH[r]a-s think, consider

說文解字

《說文》：“慮，謀思也。从思，虍聲。”

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)