高层建筑
gāo​céng​jiàn​zhù

skyscraper

高 gāo high

Pictograph of a tall building.

Components

京
京 Iconic component
jīng capital city

Pictograph of a tall building.

口
口 Distinguishing component
kǒu, kou mouth

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Warring States ~300 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 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 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
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (6 of 18 verified)

毫搞乔豪稿敲膏镐蒿槁篙犒缟縞暠喬鎬槀

Meaning (3 of 4 verified)

乔嵩臺喬

Remnant (2)

毫臺

Simplified (1)

乔

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkawCə.[k]ˤaw high, tall

說文解字

《說文》：“高，崇也，象臺觀高之形。从冂、口，與倉舍同意。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.448
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

层 céng floor (of a building) Simplified

Simplified form of 層. Phonosemantic compound. 户 represents the meaning and 曾 represents the sound.

Components

户
户 Meaning component
hù, hu door
云
云 Simplified component
yún clouds

Shorthand for the 曾 component in the traditional character 層.

Sources

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

建 jiàn build

Depicts a hand setting up a wooden post (聿) at the corner of a building site (𠃊).

Components

聿
聿 Iconic component
yù writing brush

Depicts a hand setting up a post.

𠃊
𠃊 Iconic component
yǐn hidden area

Depicts the corner of a building site. Modern form looks like 廴.


Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 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 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 Xin 9-23 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Jin 266-316 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (3 of 8 verified)

健键腱犍毽鍵踺楗

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkjonH[k]a[n]-s set up, establish

說文解字

立朝律也。从聿从廴。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫季旭昇《說文新證》p.136
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

筑 zhù short name for Guiyang 貴陽|贵阳[Guì​yáng] Simplified

A strong  巩 bamboo ⺮ building; ⺮ also provides the pronunciation

Components

⺮
⺮ SoundMeaning component
zhú bamboo
巩
巩 Meaning component
gǒng secure, bind

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

築

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangtuɡ
duɡ

說文解字

以竹曲五弦之樂也。从竹从𢀜。𢀜，持之也。竹亦聲。

Sources

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

層 céng floor (of a building) Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 户 represents the meaning and 曾 represents the sound.

Components

户
户 Meaning component
hù, hu door
曾
曾 Sound component
céng already

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdzongN-s-tˤəŋ in two storeys, double
dzongm-s-tˤəŋ additional floor, field

說文解字

《說文》：“層，重屋也。从尸，曾聲。”

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)

築 ancient lute Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 筑 represents the sound.

Components

筑
筑 Sound component
zhù short name for Guiyang 貴陽|贵阳[Guì​yáng]
木
木 Meaning component
mù tree

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
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

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagarttrjuwktruk pound earth, build

說文解字

《說文》：“築，擣也。从木，筑聲。，古文。”

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)