秤砣虽小压千斤
chèng​tuó​suī​xiǎo​yā​qiān​jīn

small but significant

秤 chèng balance

A balance 平 used to measure grain 禾

Components

禾
禾 Meaning component
hé grain stalk
平
平 Meaning component
píng flat

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtʰjɯŋs

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang

砣 tuó a stone roller

Phonosemantic compound. 石 represents the meaning and 它 represents the sound.

Components

石
石 Meaning component
shí stone
它
它 Sound component
tā it

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

虽 suī although Simplified

Original meaning: type of lizard

Simplified form of 雖. Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 唯 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "type of lizard". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

唯
唯 Simplified component
wéi only

Shorthand for the 唯 component in the traditional character 雖.

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect

Component uses

Sound (1)

强

Remnant (1)

强

Sources

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

小 xiǎo small

Depicts three small dots, representing the meaning "small". Originally the same character as 少. The small dots possibly represent grains of sand (沙).

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 Late Western Zhou ~800 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (3 of 8 verified)

孙尖尘肖隙尕尜尗

Sound (1 of 2 verified)

肖県

Iconic (2)

𭕆𧴪

Simplified (1)

孙

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsjewX[s]ewʔ small

說文解字

《說文》：“小，物之微也。从八，丨見而分之。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.79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)

压 yā press, push down Simplified

Simplified form of 壓. Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 厌 represents the sound.

Components

土
土 Meaning component
tǔ earth
厌
厌 SoundSimplified component
yàn dislike

Sources

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

千 qiān thousand

Phonosemantic compound. 一 represents the meaning and 亻 represents the sound.

Components

一
一 Meaning component
yī one
亻
亻 Sound component
rén person

亻 is a component form of 人.

Change in sound

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
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
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

Component uses

Sound (1 of 10 verified)

迁歼纤忏阡仟芊扦钎釺

Meaning (0 of 4 verified)

歼芊钎釺

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttshens.n̥ˤi[ŋ] thousand

說文解字

《說文》：“千，十百也。从十，从人。”

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)

斤 jīn axe

Pictograph of an adze for carving wood.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 BC
Seal form
Seal Qin 221-206 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 Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 14 verified)

听近欣祈芹沂靳忻昕圻颀蕲訢蘄

Meaning (5 of 7 verified)

所斯斩斧斫斬斲

Iconic (7)

新兵断析折斦斷

Simplified (1)

质

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkj+n[k]ər axe; catty

說文解字

《說文》：“斤，斫木也。象形。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.933-934
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

雖 suī although Traditional

Original meaning: type of lizard

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 唯 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "type of lizard". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

虫
虫 Meaning component
chóng bug, insect
Change in meaning
虫 hints at the original meaning of 雖, "type of lizard", which is no longer the most common meaning of 雖 in modern Mandarin.
唯
唯 Sound component
wéi only
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Qin 221-206 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
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartswijs-qʷij although; even if

說文解字

《說文》：“雖，似蜥蜴而大。从虫，唯聲。”

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)

壓 yā press, push down Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 厭 represents the sound.

Components

厭
厭 SoundMeaning component
yàn dislike
土
土 Meaning component
tǔ earth

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Xin 9-23 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagart'aepʔˤrep press down

說文解字

《說文》：“壓，壞也。一曰塞補。从土，厭聲。”

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)