本字

Chinese
 
roots or stems of plants; origin; source
roots or stems of plants; origin; source; this; the current; root; foundation; basis; (a measure word)
 
letter; symbol; character
letter; symbol; character; word
simp. and trad.
(本字)		 本 字
Examples
  • Cantonese 錫 (sek3, “to cherish; to kiss”): 惜
  • Hakka 㧡 (khâi, “to carry on a shoulder pole”): 荷
  • Mandarin 這／这 (zhè, “this”): perhaps 者 or 之
  • Hokkien 人 (lâng, “person”): 儂 / 農
  • Teochew 夜 (mên5, “night”): 暝

Pronunciation

Noun

本字

  1. original character; etymological character

Usage notes
  • This term is commonly used for Chinese topolects, in which morphemes may be written with etymologically inappropriate characters or missing a character entirely. With the hypothesis that they are identifiable as pre-existing characters, researchers strive to identify the ancestral "etymological character" from classical character dictionaries.

Synonyms

See also
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