biàn, pián
convenience
Original meaning:
whip a person
Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 𠓥 represents the sound. Originally written as 𠓥, which depicted a hand holding a whip with the 丙 component. Based on the original meaning "whip a person", now written as 鞭. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
Evolution
![便 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC) 便 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)](https://data.dong-chinese.com/img/sinica/%E4%BE%BF_0.png)
Bronze script
Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)![便 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD) 便 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)](https://data.dong-chinese.com/img/sinica/%E4%BE%BF_1.png)
Seal script
Shuowen (~100 AD)![便 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD) 便 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)](https://data.dong-chinese.com/img/sinica/%E4%BE%BF_6.png)
Clerical script
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)Regular script
ModernDefinitions
Sources
李学勤 《字源》 p.711