貓
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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貓 (Kangxi radical 153, 豸+8, 15 strokes, cangjie input 月竹廿田 (BHTW), four-corner 44260, composition ⿰豸苗)
Historical forms of the character 貓 |
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Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) |
Small seal script |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *mreːw, *mrew) : semantic 豸 + phonetic 苗 (OC *mrew). The phonetic component perhaps points to the onomatopoeic nature of this word.
Onomatopoeic. Compare 喵 (miāo, “meow, the onomatopoeic cry of a cat”).
Schuessler (2007) minimally reconstructs Old Chinese *mau, reasoning that 貓's place among division II syllables results from its onomatopoeic nature instead of an Old Chinese medial *-r-; onomatopoeia is also responsible for the 陰平/阴平 (yīnpíng) tone instead of the expected 陽平/阳平 (yángpíng).
貓
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
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