Questions tagged [glyph-origin]
Questions about the graphical origin and evolution of characters. Use [etymology] for the origin and history of Chinese words.
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Glyph origin of 鐵
I've never seen 𢧜 in any other character before, so I'll take that 𢧜 is exclusively for 鐵 (just like 邊 and 微 which I've asked before in the past). So where does 𢧜 come from? It seems to be a ...
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What is the most recent glyph origin theory for 尺 and 乇?
Recently when I was researching the character 尺 (chǐ; Chinese measure approx. 'foot'), I've been trying my best to find any recent theories about this character that could be available.
Now, I know ...
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How do I memorize Chinese characters that have an original meaning unrelated to their modern meaning?
I've been trying my best to combat this sort of thing recently but I couldn't really find a good way to solve this sort of problem I have when memorizing Chinese characters whose original meaning is ...
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Glyph origin of 蝠
Wiktionary states that 蝠 was originally a pictogram in the oracle bone and bronze scripts before changing to a phono-semantic compound (semantic 虫 + phonetic 畐).
In a case like this, are the ...
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Glyph origin of 郵
Almost every site I seen tell me that this is a phono-semantic character, but it always uses the simplified form 邮, which is pretty obvious that 由 is phonetic. But what about 郵? 垂 has no phonetic ...
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What character is this bronze inscription character?
Recently after looking up the glyph origin of 丸 (wán; small round object; pellet, pill), I've noticed something when I looked up this character on 小學堂.
Apparently this character existed during
the ...
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Is 冘 and 何 related in terms of their glyph origin?
I know this might be bizarre but while I was searching up the ancient forms of 冘 (yín/yóu; to move on), I've seem to noticed something on the ancient forms for that character. I've took note that some ...
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What is the most relevant theory origin for 由?
Today when I was learning the glyph origin of 由 (yóu; cause, reason, from), I happened to find out that its actual origin is unknown and that there were many theories out there that try to interpret ...
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Glyph origin of 盟
What is the origin of this character 盟? Both 明 and the 皿 seem to be phonetic symbols as neither component has any link to its meaning of "alliance" or "pledge".
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What is the correct origin of the sound component 禺?
After I came across the character 寓 (yù; residence), I wanted to know more about it's sound component 禺 (yú, yù; district/a mountain in Zhejiang) and it's origin.
Unfortunately though, there are many ...
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What is the correct glyph origin of 失?
While I was looking up some origins regarding the character 失, I happen to come across three theories for the character.
The most common one a lot of sources say about this character is that it was ...
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What is the glyph origin for 白?
Recently for a while now, I've been debating for a long time now on what 白 (white, clear) is supposed to depict. I've heard from a lot of sources that it could be either a rice grain, a thumb, an ...
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What does 荤菜 mean and why isn't it called 肉菜?
My understanding is that 荤菜 means "meat dish" in Chinese. But I don't understand why.
I read there is a saying "荤素搭配", which draws similarities to Yin and Yang.
If someone knows ...
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What is 冎's history and its relation to 骨 and 剮?
I am currently studying the character 冎 and I found two interesting facts about it (reference):
It is the pictographic protoform of 骨
It is an ancient form of 剮
So from the facts above, I made a ...
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What was the glyph origin of 己? What was its original meaning?
I understand that the current meaning of 己 is "oneself", which is different to its original meaning. Now I am curious about the history of the character.
I found different opinions regarding ...
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What is the chinese kanji for yin-hoa?
What is the kanji for yin-hoa (all the colors of the rainbow) and its prononciation ?
It is used as a name for a person.
And what would be a more complete or alternative meaning of it ? and its origin ...
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What are the components (or radicals) that comprise the character '兼'?
Without the knowledge of a character's components or radicals, I find some difficulty recalling the meaning or pronunciation of that character. I have looked at this poster containing radicals here, ...
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Are there translations of 汉字字源字典 dictionary to english?
If I will go here https://www.yw11.com/zidian/5416/
I will see this image from the book 汉字字源字典 or 汉语字源字典 (ISBN: 9787301046791)
are the there translations of this book to english?
are there high-...
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Why is 钾 (jiǎ) the Chinese character for potassium?
Elements on the periodic table are ascribed unique Chinese characters, and because they're relatively new characters (vs. thousands of years of history of the Chinese language), they're usually ...
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四 (four) and 西 (west) similiar?
The character for west and 4 are very similar is there any explanation for this or is that pure coincidence?
Specifically, if you remove the portion of 西 outside of the 口 what remains appears to be 四.
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Why does 任 mean "no matter"? Where did the “no matter" sense of 任 come from?
As a glyph, 任 甲金文從「人」、「壬」聲，甲金文「壬」字作「工」形，金文於豎畫中間增一圓點，後圓點伸展為一橫。
As per Wiktionary, 任 originated from
semantic 亻 (“person”) + phonetic 壬 (OC *l̥ʰeːŋʔ, *njɯm) – to carry on a shoulder pole.
Note that its ...
user34929
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What is the glyph origin of 乍 ( the radical in 怎 )?
My research has indicated 乍 is related to soil and farming, but I have seen other sources claim it's a collar of a robe. The meaning in English is "suddenly" - I assume this to be a phonetic ...
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What exactly does 几 mean in 凱? Which 几?
CUHK vouches that 凱 hails from
從「几」，「豈」聲，表示軍隊得勝所奏的樂曲。《陳書‧晉熙王叔文傳》：「（叔文）隨晉王、秦王等獻凱而入，列於廟廷。」
But Wiktionary lists 5 different meanings for 几, the semantic component! Collins lists 2. And none of them ...
user11787
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What is the glyph origin of 槑?
槑 is a variant character of 梅 comprised of two 呆. Both are pronounced "méi", and mean "plum blossom" (Prunus mume). But what would the glyph origin be like? 呆, pronounced "dāi&...
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What is the normal process through which 多音字 develop?
Do 多音字 usually develop as separate words that just happen to be written in the same way? Or do they usually arise as one word that diverges into different pronunciations for its different senses? This ...
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Why is there a 女字旁 in the character 始?
Is it because we all begin life via a female ?
My Pleco dictionary doesn't give any other meaning for 始 other than to begin.
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how hé is phonetic component for jiē?
I am going through 揭
“揭 jiē is composed of 曷 hé and 扌 “a hand; actions done with the hands,” pointing to the original meaning “to raise, hold s.t. up high.” 曷 gives the sound.”
how hé is phonetic ...
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Why do 蓝 and 篮 look so similar?
Is there a reason why 蓝 (as in 蓝色 = blue) and 篮 (as in 篮球 = basketball) look so similar, or is it just a coincidence?
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How did 徹 originally signify a hand breaking a pot?
Is Wiktionary, which can be wrong, correct?
彳 + 育 + 攵 (“hand”) – originally a hand breaking a pot.
If it is, 攵 = hand, correct?
But which Glyph (Is this the correct term? Or is this Morph? Morpheme?...
user11787
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Why's 辶 (“move”) the semantic component of 遺 and 述?
How do 遺's and 述's meanings appertain to its semantic component 辶?
Oxford Chinese Dictionary (2010) p 689.
Op. cit. p 885.
user11787
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Is this really the bloody origin of 我？
Is 我 really so grisly? A saw for cutting off heads?
Baidu:
图（A）是甲骨文里的“我”字，像把有柄有钩的古代武器——大斧，斧口有一排锋利的锯齿。这是奴隶社会里一种用来行刑杀人和肢解牲口的凶器，叫作wǒ，古代也有人把这种锯斧叫作“锜”。
图（A）是甲骨文里的“我”字，
Picture (A) is the character found in ...
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Meaning of early written versions of 地 and etymology?
The glyph origin section of https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%9C%B0 shows characters that look nothing like the modern "地" (with the exception of the "Small Seal Script" in "...
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How did 來 ("wheat") compound with 𠂇 ("left hand") to mean 差?
If I translated CUHK correctly, it moots the concept of hulling wheat by rubbing grains inside hands, just as Wiktionary does. But this doesn't answer my question? How do 來 and 𠂇 semantically ...
user11787
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Does this character 𡵂 have a meaning or pronunciation?
I'm trying to find the meaning of 𡵂 which appears as component of characters in several languages. Here there is a reference to it, but it gives no meaning or pronunciation. 𡵂
Does this character 𡵂...
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Does this character 𤰔 have a meaning or pronunciation?
I was looking for the meaning of 𤰔 which appears as component of characters in several languages, and I couldnt find any. Having the meaning or pronunciation of a component it makes easier to ...
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Does this character 𡗗 have a meaning?
I was looking for the meaning of 𡗗 which appears as component of characters in several languages, and I couldnt find any. Having the meaning of a component it makes easier to memorize characters that ...
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Interpretation of 冂 in 大盂鼎
I was recently looking into the origins of the character「冖」, which《說文新證》states does not appear on its own in the texts excavated so far:
現有考古文字材料未見獨體的冂（偏旁或作冖）字，...
However, searching「冖」on 小學堂 gives ...
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Why's 魚 (fish) the semantic component of 鰒 (abalone)?
If I had to guess the Semantic Component for abalone, I would've guessed 虫. Why? Because
abalones look more like insects, don't look like fish.
Taxonomically they belong to the Subclass ...
user11787
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Why's 馬 (horses) the semantic component of 騙 (to fool, to defraud)?
I don't understand how horses (馬) appertain to deceiving and swindling (騙). I'm uneducated on horses. Is there evidence that horses swindle humans or other horses?
And I don't understand how the ...
user11787
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What's the difference between etymology and glyph origin?
Askers, including me, often seem to confuse the two terms, and understanding the distinction between the two is so critical to advanced study of Chinese characters and words.
The question can probably ...
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Why does 負 also mean "minus" and "negative"?
The meaning of "negative" contradicts the "Formation Method" of "person carrying a lot of money" in Yellowbridge below. Unquestionably, if a person carries a lot of money,...
user11787
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Etymology of 制 zhì = make, manufacture
What is the etymology of 制? how the meaning is evolved to Make, manufacture?
Ox + hand kerchief + knife becomes Make or Manufacture?
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Any mnemonic for 摔 shuāi = fall & etymology for 率
The word 摔 means fall:
摔 shuāi to fall, tumble, lose one’s balance
Generally the fall action comes with leg, although hand also related. any mnemonic or story to remember this?
Gugg had given good ...
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Glyph origin for 㐆 and Mnemonic for 殷
Came across through the word 殷勤. could you please help with Glyph origin for :
㐆yǐn to follow, to trust to, to put confidence in, to depend on, to turn around
Any any mnemonic to remember this?
殷 yīn ...
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Understanding the glyph origin of 占
I have the following etymology from Outlier Dictionary of Chinese Characters:
占 depicts cracks (卜) in a turtle shell and a hole (口) drilled into the shell during the divination process. Its original ...
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Glyph origin or any mnemonic for 蕴?
I failed to remember the meaning for the word 蕴含 yùnhán. Is any mnemonic or story or etymological hints to remember 蕴?
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Is there any mnemonic to remember 支 and 技?
I am using Flashcards to remember vocabulary, but could not remember the meanings for these 2 words. If you have any easy mnemonic, image or story, please advise. thanks
支 zhī disperse, pay, support,...
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不自量力 can this be used to under estimate one’s capabilities also?
I understand the meaning of 量 is measure, estimate. But how the capacity also was the meaning? any background, etymology?
量 liàng measure, estimate, capacity, quantity
不自量力 bùzìliànglì not have a ...
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In “一网打尽” what does 尽 mean?
一网打尽 yīwǎngdǎjìn lit. to catch everything in the one net.
In this sentence what does 尽 means? how to easily remember the meaning by seeing the character without wild guess and imagining etymological ...
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etymology of 友, 犮
I am confused at these two characters some times. Could you please let me know etymology of these 2 characters? and advise any further analysis. Thanks
友 yǒu friend
犮 bá to pull up
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