Definitions

belly; skin; to state; to pass on information; to display

Etymology phono-semantic

flesh

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

(traditional: ) is a phono-semantic compound: the flesh radical on the left signals a connection to the body, while the phonetic (simplified from ) occupies the right. It originally referred to the belly, abdomen, or skin of a person or animal. Over time, the character took on the meaning of stating, displaying, or reporting information from a lower rank to a higher authority, which became its most common function in formal usage.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern