Glyph Origins

Radical ⽇ (72)

日 (U+65E5)

ShangShang
(Bin)
Middle
W.Zhou
QinW.HanE.HanNanbei
(N.Wei)
Tang
集5350.1合6571正考文2006.6睡.日乙26北.周Z1五.行231元敷墓誌五經文字

{日} *kV.nik “sun”

Depiction of the sun.

  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (531)

早 (U+65E9)

?{早} *Nə.tsˤuʔ “early”

Unknown. Probably shortened form of 𱢦 ( SUN + ♪ *TSU).

  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (532)

旬 (U+65EC)

Early
W.Zhou
Middle
W.Zhou
QinW.HanE.HanTang
集2682集5430.2睡.種74北.妄47夏承碑五經文字

{旬} *[sN.qʷ]i[n] “ten days”

DAY + ♪〾勹 *QʷIN (> 勹) (depiction of an eye with a spiral for {眴} *N.qʷˤi[n]s “eyesight dimmed”).

  • 裘錫圭 1990 - 殷墟甲骨文字考釋(七篇)・五、釋勻
  • 鄔可晶 2019 - 說“回”
  • 張卉、呉毅強 2024 - 甲骨文舊釋“蜀”字平議兼論“旬”字構形

明 (U+660E)

ShangEarly
W.Zhou
Chunqiu
(Qin)
Zhanguo
(Qin)
Zhanguo
(Qin)
QinE.HanE.HanNanbei
(N.Wei)
近出241集6015集4315駰乙.正集證26.2睡.日乙206肥致碑淳于長夏承碑南0021X

{明} *mraŋ “bright”

/ MOON + ♪ *MRAŊ (> 目 > 日).

  • 蘇建洲 2019 - 《清華大學藏戰國竹簡(捌)》字詞考釋十則
  • 雷縉碚 2022 - “昌、名”二字本義考——兼論《詩經》“安且吉兮”

易 (U+6613)

Shang
(Shi-Li)
Shang
(Bin)
Early
W.Zhou
Early
W.Zhou
Middle
W.Zhou
Middle
W.Zhou
QinW.HanE.HanTang
合32226合811正集2405集2459集4171.1集4291睡.效44北.老72太尉楊震碑五經文字

{賜} *sV.leks “to bestow” ♪→ {易} *lek “to change”

Depiction of water being poured from a tilted vessel.

  • 謝明文 2019 - 甲骨文舊釋“益”之字新釋——兼“易”字新探

昔 (U+6614)

Shang
(Zi)
Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Bin)
Early
W.Zhou
Late
W.Zhou
Zhanguo
(Jin)
QinW.HanE.HanNanbei
(N.Wei)
花35懷1004合7213集6014華章119頁集2840睡.日乙120張.引13張君碑元謐墓誌

{昔} *[s]ak “the past”

DAY + ♪𠈌² *(T)SAK (depiction of cracks for {皵} *tsʰak “to crack”).

  • 陳劍 2021 - 說「昔」字並論「𡿧」形的真正來源

春 (U+6625)

Shang
(Shi)
Shang
(Bin)
Shang
(Bin)
W.ZhouChunqiu
(Zheng)
QinQinQinW.HanE.HanTang
合20074
[芚]
合2358正
[芚]
合11533H11:75近二878封泥集.附二404里耶8-1725睡.日乙111北.雨Z2華山廟碑五經文字

{春} *tʰu[r] “spring”

SUN + ♪ *TU[R]. Initially the word {春} was written phonetically as *TU[R] or .

  • 蔣玉斌 2018 -釋釈甲骨金文的“蠢”兼論相關問題

是 (U+662F)

Shang
(Wuming)
Shang
(Bin)
Early
W.Zhou
Chunqiu
(Qin)
QinQinW.HanE.HanTang
合30692合456正集2724集證59秦印編30睡.問188北.老17夏承碑干祿字書

?{鞮} *tˤe “leather shoes” ♪→ {是} *[d]eʔ “this”

FOOT + shortened ♪ *TE.

  • 范天培 2020 - 清華大學藏戰國竹簡(肆)~(柒)字根研究