méi​bǐ

eyebrow pencil

méi eyebrows

Depicts hair above the eye ().

Components

Iconic component
characterless component

Depicts eyebrows.

Iconic component
eye

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 8 verified)

Iconic (1)

Remnant (1)

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartmijmr[ə][r] eyebrow

說文解字

《說文》:“眉,目上毛也。从目,象眉之形,上象頟理也。”

Sources

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

writing utensil Simplified

Simplified form of . Depicts a utensil for writing () made from bamboo (⺮).

Components

Meaning component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of .

máo, mao hair

Shorthand for the component in the traditional character .

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

writing utensil Traditional

Depicts a utensil for writing () made from bamboo (⺮).

Components

Meaning component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of .

Meaning component
writing brush

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartpitp.[r]ut (borrowed as *prut from Qín dialect)writing brush

說文解字

《說文》:“筆,秦謂之筆。从聿,从竹。”

Sources

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