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由 (Kangxi radical 102,田+0, 5 strokes,cangjie input中田 (LW),four-corner50600,composition⿻日丨 or⿻囗十)
| simp. andtrad. | 由 | |
|---|---|---|
| alternative forms | 繇 | |
| Historical forms of the character由 |
|---|
| Western Zhou |
| Bronze inscriptions |
 |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声,OC*lɯw): phonetic 十(OC*ɡjub) + semantic 口(“mouth”) – a container with on top the pictogram of a needle (十, today針), to indicate the ancient pronunciation. Compare the bottom part of the original version of缶, an earthenware pot. In oracle bones, 由 was used as the original version of怞 (yóu or, in the less conservative pronunciation,chóu). See also俞.
Otherwise, according to Tang Lan (唐蘭), it's the pictogram of a helmet. If a helmet, may have been the same as or original character of冑. However, this alternative interpretation is less likely.
(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Related to遊?”)
| Variety | Location | 由 |
|---|---|---|
| Mandarin | Beijing | /iou³⁵/ |
| Harbin | /iou²⁴/ | |
| Tianjin | /iou⁴⁵/ | |
| Jinan | /iou⁴²/ | |
| Qingdao | /iou⁴²/ | |
| Zhengzhou | /iou⁴²/ | |
| Xi'an | /iou²⁴/ | |
| Xining | /iɯ²⁴/ | |
| Yinchuan | /iəu⁵³/ | |
| Lanzhou | /iou⁵³/ | |
| Ürümqi | /iɤu⁵¹/ | |
| Wuhan | /iəu²¹³/ | |
| Chengdu | /iəu³¹/ | |
| Guiyang | /iəu²¹/ | |
| Kunming | /iəu³¹/ | |
| Nanjing | /iəɯ²⁴/ | |
| Hefei | /iɯ⁵⁵/ | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /iəu¹¹/ |
| Pingyao | /iəu¹³/ | |
| Hohhot | /iəu³¹/ | |
| Wu | Shanghai | /ɦiɤ²³/ |
| Suzhou | /ɦiɤ¹³/ | |
| Hangzhou | /ɦiø²¹³/ | |
| Wenzhou | /jau³¹/ | |
| Hui | Shexian | /iu⁴⁴/ |
| Tunxi | /iu⁴⁴/ | |
| Xiang | Changsha | /iəu¹³/ |
| Xiangtan | /iəɯ¹²/ | |
| Gan | Nanchang | /i⁴⁵/ |
| Hakka | Meixian | /iu¹¹/ |
| Taoyuan | /ʒiu¹¹/ | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /jɐu²¹/ |
| Nanning | /jɐu²¹/ | |
| Hong Kong | /jɐu²¹/ | |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /iu³⁵/ |
| Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /ieu⁵³/ | |
| Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /iu²¹/ | |
| Shantou (Teochew) | /iu⁵⁵/ | |
| Haikou (Hainanese) | /ziu³¹/ |
| Rime | |
|---|---|
| Character | 由 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 以 (36) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 以周切 |
| Baxter | yuw |
| Reconstructions | |
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /jɨu/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /jiu/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /iəu/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /juw/ |
| Li Rong | /iu/ |
| Wang Li | /jĭəu/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /i̯ə̯u/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | yóu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | jau4 |
| Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) | |
|---|---|
| Character | 由 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | yóu |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ yuw › |
| Old Chinese | /*l[u]/ |
| English | follow; from |
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; | |
| Zhengzhang system (2003) | |
|---|---|
| Character | 由 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 15526 |
| Phonetic component | 由 |
| Rime group | 幽 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 猷 |
| Old Chinese | /*lɯw/ |
由
| For pronunciation and definitions of由 – see甴. (This character is a variant form of甴). |
由 (eumhun말미암을유(malmiameul yu))
