Glyph Origins

Radical ⼸ (57)

弔 (U+5F14)

Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Ya)
Early
W.Zhou
Late
W.Zhou
Chunqiu
(Qin)
Zhanguo
(Chu)
W.HanE.HanE.HanNanbei
(N.Wei)
合18463正合22301集3724集3760集證83
[盄]
上六.用曰20武.甲服58衡方碑夏承碑胡明相墓誌

?{毒} *[d]ˤuk “poison” ♪→ {弔} *tˤ[i]wk “to reach”

Depiction of a snake () coiling around a person ().

  • 白於藍 & 王錦城 2019 - 釋“弔”

引 (U+5F15)

{引} *li[n]ʔ “to draw (a bow)”

Depiction of a bow () with a line representing it being drawn.

  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (879-880)

弘 (U+5F18)

Early
W.Zhou
QinQinE.HanNanbei
(N.Wei)
Tang
集5257
[𪪺]
秦印編250里耶8-1554正圉令趙君碑楊範墓誌五經文字

{弘} *[w]ˤəŋ “grand”

Likely a differentiated form of 𪪺 (with reanalyzing the left element as ♪ *[W]ƏŊ?).

  • 裘錫圭 1982 - 甲骨文字考釋(續)・釋“弘”“強”
  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (880)

弦 (U+5F26)

Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Bin)
Zhanguo
(Chu)
Zhanguo
(Chu)
Zhanguo
(Chu)
QinW.HanHanHanSanguo
(Wu)
Nanbei
(N.Wei)
Tang
合10458合9410正清二.繫年46曾乙56上六.用12里耶8-458馬.相43居新EPT59:165居新EPF22:308走莂5.440寇憑墓誌開石.儀禮3

{弦} *ɡˤin “bowstring”

Depiction of a bow () with an indicative circle on the bowstring. Later the bowstring was changed into STRING, and BOW was added. Then the right element was changed into ♪ *KIN.

  • 李守奎 & 肖攀 2015 - 清華簡《系年》文字考釋與構形研究・幺、玄、糸、𢆶、絲等相關字考
  • 王子楊 2023 - 甲骨文“弦”字補釋——兼談“弦”與“幻”的關係
  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (882-883)

弱 (U+5F31)

Chunqiu
(Chu)
QinQinW.HanW.HanE.HanTangMing
集261珍秦99珍展139張.脈5馬.相16桐柏淮源廟碑五經文字明0248X

{尿/溺} *kə.nˤewks “to urinate” ♪→ {弱} *newk “weak”

WATER + ♪⿰弓⿹弓彡 *NEWK ( BOW + ♪⿹弓彡 *NEWK for {弱} *newk “weak”).

  • 謝明文 2017 - 談談甲骨文中可能用作“庭”的一個字
  • 鄔可晶 2022 - “弱”、“約”有關字詞的考察

𪪺 (U+2AABA)

Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Huang)
Early
W.Zhou
Zhanguo
(Chu)
Qin
合3083正合4771合35673集5257包103
[𰐓]
里耶8-1824
[強]

{強} *N.kaŋ “strong”

BOW + differentiative 口. The modern form is a liding.

  • 裘錫圭 1982 - 甲骨文字考釋(續)・釋“弘”“強”
  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (880)