啟

🇹🇼🇭🇰🇰🇷

启

🇨🇳

enlighten

HSK 10

qǐ

kyey

Depicts a hand (又) opening a door (户) of an opening (口). The 又 (hand) component was later reanalyzed as meaning component 攵.

Components

Traditional (啟)

户 family+ 口 mouth+ 攵 tap =

啟 enlighten

户 Iconic component

hù family

door

口 Iconic component

kǒu mouth

Depicts an opening.

攵 Meaning component

pū tap

rap, tap

攵 is a component form of 攴.

Simplified (启)

户 family+ 口 mouth+ 又 again =

启 open

户 Iconic component

hù family

door

口 Iconic component

kǒu mouth

Depicts an opening.

又

yòu again

and, also, again, in addition

Depicts a hand.

Notes

Historical Evolution

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze

Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze

Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical

Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)