gěngèn

blunt

Original meaning: 

look backwards

Depicts a person looking backwards. Based on the original meaning "look backwards". The modern meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components
目 iconic component

  Iconic component

  

eye

Depicts an eye.

人 iconic component

  Iconic component

rén

  

person

Horizontally flipped version of , depicts a person looking backwards.

Evolution

艮 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
艮 Clerical script Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical script

Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
艮 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
艮 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

gěn

seventh of eight diagrams; blunt; tough; chewy

 

gèn

one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦[bā​guà], symbolizing mountain; ☶; ancient Chinese compass point: 45° (northeast)

Component uses

Meaning component in 4 characters (1 verified)

Sound component in 19 characters (9 verified)

Statistics

Not found in HSK word list

4564th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

6

Unicode

U+826E

Shuowen

“艮,很也。从匕目。匕目,猶目相匕,不相下也。《易》曰:‘艮其限。匕目為艮,匕目為真也。’”


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