měi

every

Original meaning: 

young woman of marriageable age

Pictograph of a woman () with a hairpin in her hair. In ancient China, women of marriageable age wore a hairpin. Based on the original meaning "young woman" The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Components
◎ iconic component

  Iconic component

  

characterless component

Depicts a hairpin.

母 iconic component

  Iconic component

  

mother

Evolution

每 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
每 Bronze script Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
每 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
每 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

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

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

měi

every, each; each; every

Most common words with 每
Freq.
Word
Meaning

each

每天

every day

每次

every time

每年

every year

每个人

everybody

Component uses

Sound component in 11 characters (3 verified)

Unknown component in 1 character (0 verified)