yòu

(hand), again

Original meaning: 

hand

Pictograph of a hand. The character is based on the original meaning "hand". The current meaning "again" is a phonetic loan.

Evolution

又 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
又 Bronze script Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze script

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
又 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

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

Clerical script

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

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

yòu

and, also, again, in addition; (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway

Most common words with 又
Freq.
Word
Meaning

also

欲言又止

to want to say sth but then hesitate

赔了夫人又折兵

having given away a bride, to lose one's army on top of it (idiom)

玄之又玄

mystery within a mystery

又及

P.S.

Component uses

Meaning component in 13 characters (5 verified)

𣦼

Sound component in 5 characters (3 verified)

Simplified component in 15 characters (14 verified)

𠬤

Unknown component in 9 characters (0 verified)

Historical pronunciation

Old Chinese

Middle Chinese

Pinyin

Gloss

*[ɢ]ʷəʔ-s

hjuwH

yòu

also, in addition


Statistics

HSK level 2

Appears in 96.1237% of movies

229th most common character in movies

126th most common character in books

Miscellaneous

Strokes

2

Unicode

U+53C8

Shuowen

“又,手也,象形。三指者,手之列多略不過三也。”


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