耶稣受难节
Yē​sū Shòu​nàn​jié

Good Friday

耶 yé, yē, ye ye (sound)

Corruption of 邪, with the 牙 component replaced with 耳.

Components

牙
牙 Sound component
yá tooth

Corrupted to 耳.

Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 牙 than it was in ancient scripts.
⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

Character Evolution

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 4 verified)

椰揶倻爺

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhanglaː
Unicodeia

Sources

Character origin
Wiktionary
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica

稣 sū revive Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 鱼 represents the sound. Simplified form of 穌.

Components

禾
禾 Meaning component
hé grain stalk
鱼
鱼 Sound component
yú fish

Sources

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

受 shòu receive

Depicts a boat (舟) being passed from one hand (爫) to another hand (又). 舟 also served as phonetic, but it was later abbreviated.

Components

爫
爫 Iconic component
zhǎo hand, claw

爫 is a component form of 爪.

舟
舟 SoundIconic component
zhōu boat
Change in form
Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 舟 than it was in ancient scripts.
又
又 Iconic component
yòu hand

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Warring States ~400 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 Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 3 verified)

授绶綬

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzyuwX[d]uʔ receive

說文解字

《說文》：“受，相付也。从，舟省聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫裘錫圭 "Chinese Writing" p.189
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

难 nán, nan, nàn difficult Simplified

Original meaning: type of bird

Simplified form of 難. Phonosemantic compound. 隹 represents the meaning and 𦰩 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "type of bird". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

又
又 Simplified component
yòu again

Shorthand for the 𦰩 component in the traditional character 難.

隹
隹 Meaning component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Component uses

Sound (2 of 4 verified)

滩摊瘫傩

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

节 jié holiday Simplified

Original meaning: bamboo joint

Simplified form of 節. Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 即 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bamboo joint". Later used as a measure word for segments and divisions of time.

Components

艹
艹 MeaningSimplified component
cao, cǎo grass

Shorthand for the ⺮ component in the traditional character 節.

卩
卩 SoundSimplified component
jié person kneeling

Shorthand for the 即 component in the traditional character 節.

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

栉

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

栉

Sources

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

穌 revive Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 禾 represents the meaning and 魚 represents the sound.

Components

魚
魚 Sound component
yú fish
Change in sound
禾
禾 Meaning component
hé grain stalk

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Spring and Autumn ~700 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

蘇

Meaning (1)

蘇

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartsus.ŋˤa gather into sheaves (Shuōwén)

說文解字

《說文》：“穌，把取禾若也。从禾，魚聲。”

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)

難 nán, nan, nàn difficult Traditional

Original meaning: type of bird

Phonosemantic compound. 隹 represents the meaning and 𦰩 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "type of bird". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components

𦰩
𦰩 Sound component
jiān to sigh
Change in sound
隹
隹 Meaning component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Spring and Autumn 771-476 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 Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 4 verified)

攤儺癱灘

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartnannˤar difficult
nanHnˤar-s difficulty

說文解字

《說文》：“，鳥也。从鳥，堇聲。難，或从隹。”

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)

節 jié holiday Traditional

Original meaning: bamboo joint

Phonosemantic compound. ⺮ represents the meaning and 即 represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "bamboo joint". Later used as a measure word for segments and divisions of time.

Components

⺮
⺮ Meaning component
zhú bamboo

⺮ is a component form of 竹.

即
即 Sound component
jí promptly

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 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 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
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2)

櫛癤

Meaning (1)

櫛

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttsettsˤik joint

說文解字

《說文》：“節，竹約也。从竹，即聲。”

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)