xiào​wén

laugh lines

xiào smile

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Unknown component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of . The original connection of this component to "laugh" is unclear.

Sound component
yāo, wò, wāi die young

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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 Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartsjewH[s-l]aw-s to laugh

說文解字

《說文新附》:“此字本闕。臣鉉等案:孫愐《唐韻》引《說文》云‘喜也,从竹,从犬’,而不述其義。今俗皆从犬。又案:李陽冰刊定《說文》‘从竹,从夭’,義云‘竹得風其體夭屈如人之笑’。未知其審。”

Sources

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

wén line Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Components

Meaning component
silk

is a component form of .

Sound component
wén writing

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

wén line Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components

Meaning component
silk

is a component form of .

Sound component
wén writing

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangmɯn
Unicodemiən

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang