苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟 Origin

sū revive Simplified

Simplified form of 蘇. Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 穌 represents the sound.

Components

艹 Meaning component

cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

办 Simplified component

bàn manage

Shorthand for the 穌 component in the traditional character 蘇.

Sources

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

wéi hold together, maintain Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 纟 represents the meaning and 隹 represents the sound. Simplified form of 維.

Components

纟 Meaning component

mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

隹 Sound component

zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

潍

Sources

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

āi fine dust

Components

土 Meaning component

tǔ earth

earth

矣 Sound component

yǐ, xián particle of completed action

Character Evolution

Clerical form — Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	ʔoj	qˤə	dust
Zhengzhang		qlɯː
Unicode	qəi

說文解字

塵也。从土矣聲。

Sources

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

shè society

Original meaning: god of soil

Originally depicted a god (礻) of the soil (土). The meaning later shifted to "shrine", "congregation", and "society".

Components

礻 Meaning component

shì show

礻 is a component form of 示.

土 Sound Meaning component

tǔ earth

Change in sound

社 and 土 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
社 *m-tʰAʔ
土 *tʰˤaʔ

Character Evolution

Bronze form — Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	dzyaeX	m-tʰAʔ	sacrifice to the spirit of the soil

說文解字

《說文》：“社，地主也。从示、土。《春秋傳》曰：‘共工之子句龍為社神。’《周禮》：‘二十五家為社，各樹其土所宜之木。’，古文社。”

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)

huì, kuài to gather Simplified

Simplified form of 會. Phonosemantic compound. 合 represents the meaning and 𡆧 represents the sound.

Components

合 Meaning Simplified component

hé to join

𡆧 Sound Simplified component

guó ironware

Change in sound

会 and 𡆧 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.

Component uses

Sound (1 of 12 verified)

绘刽荟桧烩脍狯哙浍鲙郐𬭇

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

侩

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.442
Readings & variants: Unicode

zhǔ master

Original meaning: deity

Pictograph of a memorial tablet used for spiritual rituals, similar to 示.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (3 of 11 verified)

住注驻柱蛀拄炷麈疰駐註

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	tsyuX	toʔ	master; host

說文解字

《說文》：“主，鐙中火主也。从凵土，象形；从丶，丶亦聲。”

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)

yì justice Simplified

Adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character 義. Phonosemantic compound. 羊 represents the meaning and 我 represents the sound. In ancient China sheep (羊) were associated with goodness and beauty, which is why 羊 is a component in characters like 美 (beautiful), 善 (benevolent), and 義 (justice).

Components

羊 Meaning Simplified component

yáng sheep

我 Sound Simplified component

wǒ I; me

Change in sound

义 and 我 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
义 *ŋ(r)aj-s
我 *ŋˤajʔ

Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

议仪蚁舣

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

gòng together with

Pictograph of two hands holding up a vessel.

Components

◎ Iconic component

characterless component

Depicts a vessel being held up.

廾 Iconic component

gǒng two hands

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	gjowngH	N-k(r)oŋʔ-s	together, all

說文解字

《說文》：“共，同也。从廿、廾。，古文共。”

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)

hé, huo, he harmony

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

Components

口 Meaning component

kǒu, kou mouth

禾 Sound component

hé grain stalk

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hwa	[ɢ]ˤoj	harmonious
	hwaH	[ɢ]ˤoj-s	tune (instruments); respond in singing

說文解字

《說文》：“咊，相譍也。从口，禾聲。”

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)

guó nation Simplified

Simplified form of 國. Phonosemantic compound. 囗 represents the meaning and 或 represents the sound.

Components

囗 Meaning component

wéi, guó surround

玉 Sound Simplified component

yù jade

Shorthand for the 或 component in the traditional character 國.

Change in sound

国 and 玉 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in Old Chinese.
国 *[C.q]ʷˤək
玉 *[ŋ](r)ok (< uvular?)

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

帼蝈掴

Historical Pronunciations

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode

lián connect Simplified

Simplified form of 聯. Phonosemantic compound. 耳 represents the meaning and 𢇇 represents the sound.

Components

耳 Meaning component

ěr ear

Alludes to earrings connected to the ear.

关 Simplified component

guān to close

Shorthand for the phonetic 𢇇 component in the traditional character 聯.

Sources

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

méng swear

Phonosemantic compound. 皿 represents the meaning and 明 represents the sound.

Components

皿 Meaning component

mǐn, mǐng dish

明 Sound component

míng, ming bright

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	mjæng	mraŋ	covenant
Zhengzhang		mraŋ
		mraːŋs

Sources

Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images: Academia Sinica

sū revive Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 穌 represents the sound.

Components

艹 Meaning component

cao, cǎo grass

艹 is a component form of 艸.

穌 Sound Meaning component

revive

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (1)

囌

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	su	s-ŋˤa	revive

說文解字

《說文》：“蘇，桂荏也。从艸，穌聲。”

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)

wéi hold together, maintain Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 隹 represents the sound.

Components

糹 Meaning component

mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

隹 Sound component

zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

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Component uses

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

濰

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	ywij	ɢʷij (? < *ɢʷuj)	rope for tying

說文解字

《說文》：“維，車蓋維也。从糸，隹聲。”

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)

huì, kuài to gather Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 合 represents the meaning and 𡆧 represents the sound.

Components

合 Meaning component

hé to join

Change in form

Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 合 than it was in ancient scripts.

𡆧 Sound component

guó ironware

Change in sound

會 and 𡆧 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.

Character Evolution

Regular Modern

▼ More ▲ Less

Component uses

Sound (2 of 11 verified)

劊癐噲膾廥檜燴繪𨭗薈鱠

Meaning (0 of 2 verified)

儈廥

Historical Pronunciations

	Middle Chinese	Old Chinese	Gloss
Baxter-Sagart	hwajH	m-kˤop-s	meeting; have a meeting
	hwajH	ɦʷˤajs (< *m-kˤop-s)	阿會亘 ēhuìxuān: Skt. ābhāsvara ‘shining’ (E. Hàn)
	kwajH	kˤop-s	calculate; calculation

說文解字

《說文》：“會，合也。从亼，从曾省。曾，益也。令，古文會如此。”

Sources

Character origin: 季旭昇《說文新證》p.442
Readings & variants: Unicode
Historical pronunciations: Baxter-Sagart
Historical images: Academia Sinica
Etymology: Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

yì right conduct Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 羊 represents the meaning and 我 represents the sound. In ancient China sheep (羊) were associated with goodness and beauty, which is why 羊 is a component in characters like 美 (beautiful), 善 (benevolent), and 義 (justice).