Dong Chinese dictionary

niè

guidepost

A wooden (木) pole at nose (自) height used as an arrow target or as a guidepost for measuring the position of the sun by its shadow.

Components

自 Sound component

zì

self

臬 and 自 don't sound similar in modern Mandarin due to historical phonetic changes. They were more similar in older Chinese.臬 /*ŋˤet/
自 /*s.[b]i[t]-s/, /*s.[b]i[t]-s/

木 Meaning component

mù

tree

Evolution

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

臬

niè

law, rule; door post; guidepost; rule; standard; limit; target (old)

Most common words with 臬

Freq.	Word	Meaning
	臬	rule
	奉为圭臬	to take as a guiding principle (idiom)

Component uses

Sound component in 3 characters (0 verified)

Sources

MTSU Chinese text computing

漢語多功能字庫

李学勤《字源》 p.529

The Digital Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese

Freq.

Word

Meaning