Old Chinese basic vocabulary (250 items) in the Baxter-Sagart reconstruction (version 1.1.), from Sagart & Ma (2020):
| No. | English gloss | Chinese character | Old Chinese (Baxter and Sagart, v. 1.1.) | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | above | 上 | *daŋʔ-s | |
| 2 | all | 咸 | *ˁrm | |
| 2 | all | 凡 | *rom | |
| 2 | all | 皆 | *kˁrij | |
| 3 | the ant | 蚼 | *qʰˁ(r)oʔ | |
| 3 | the ant | 蟻 | *m-qʰ(r)ajʔ | |
| 4 | the armpit | 腋 | *(r)Ak | |
| 5 | bad | 惡 | *ʔˁak | |
| 6 | the bamboo | 竹 | *truk | |
| 7 | the barley (Tibetan or highland) | |||
| 8 | to be alive | 生 | *sreŋ | Also ‘to be born’/‘to give birth’, the primary meaning |
| 9 | the belly | 腹 | *p(r)uk | |
| 10 | below, under | 下 | *gˁraʔ | |
| 11 | big | 大 | *lˁa-s | |
| 12 | the bird | 鳥 | *tˁiwʔ | |
| 13 | to bite | 噬 | *e-s | |
| 14 | black | 黑 | *m̥ˁək | |
| 14 | black | 緇 | *rə | |
| 15 | the blood | 血 | *m̥ˁik | |
| 16 | to blow (of wind) | 吹 | *tʰo | |
| 17 | the body hair (hair or fur) | 毛 | *C.mˁaw | |
| 18 | the bone | 骨 | *kˁut | |
| 19 | the branch | 枝 | *ke | |
| 20 | the breast (female) | 乳 | *noʔ | Also ‘milk’ |
| 21 | to burn (intransitive) | 燃 | *C.na | See #96 ‘hot’ |
| 22 | to buy | 買 | *mˁrajʔ | |
| 23 | to chew | 噍 | *ewk-s | |
| 24 | the child (young human) | 兒 | *ŋe | |
| 25 | the cloud | 雲 | *ʷə | |
| 26 | cold (of temperature) | 冷 | *ˁeŋʔ | |
| 26 | cold (of temperature) | 寒 | *Cə.ˁa | |
| 26 | cold (of temperature) | 涼 | *C.raŋ | |
| 26 | cold (of temperature) | 凔 | *ˁaŋ | |
| 26 | cold (of temperature) | 凊 | *eŋ-s | |
| 27 | to come | 來 | *mə.rˁək | MC reflects a variant form *mə.rˁə |
| 28 | correct (right) | 貞 | *treŋ | May have to be amended to *t⟨r⟩eŋ in view of the probable word-family relationship to 正 below. |
| 28 | correct (right) | 正 | *teŋ-s | |
| 29 | to count | 數 | *s-roʔ | |
| 30 | to weep | 泣 | *k-r̥əp | |
| 31 | dark | 暗 | *qˁum-s | |
| 32 | the daughter | 女 | *nraʔ | More generally ‘woman, female’ (# 242) |
| 33 | the dew | 露 | *p.rˁak-s | |
| 34 | to die | 死 | *sijʔ | |
| 35 | to dig | 搰 | *ˁut | |
| 35 | to dig | 掘 | *ot, *ut | |
| 36 | dirty | 汙 | *qʷˁra | |
| 37 | the dog | 犬 | *ʷʰˁʔ | |
| 38 | the dream | 夢 | *C.məŋ-s | |
| 39 | to drink | 飲 | *q(r)mʔ | |
| 40 | dry | 乾 | *ˁar | |
| 41 | the dust | 塵 | *rə | |
| 42 | the ear | 耳 | *C.nəʔ | |
| 43 | early | 早 | *Nə.tsˁuʔ | |
| 44 | the earth (soil) | 土 | *tʰˁaʔ | |
| 45 | the earthworm | 螾 | *(r)əʔ | |
| 46 | to eat | 食 | *mə-lək | |
| 47 | the egg | (no char.) | *tʰu | Cantonese tʃʰœn¹ ‘egg’ < *tʰu (cp. tʃʰœn¹ ‘spring’); Hakka (Meixian, Lufeng) tʃʰun¹ ‘eggs of birds, reptiles; roe of fish’ (cp. tʃʰun¹ ‘spring’); Yizhang 宜章 patois sei¹ ‘egg’ (cp. sei¹ ‘spring’); and other locations in Guangzhou, Jiangxi and Guangxi. |
| 47 | the egg | 卵 | *k.rˁorʔ | |
| 48 | eight | 八 | *pˁret | |
| 49 | the eye | 目 | *C.m(r)k | |
| 50 | far | 遠 | *C.ɢʷanʔ | |
| 51 | the father | 父 | *(r)aʔ | |
| 52 | the feather | 羽 | *ʷ(r)aʔ | |
| 53 | to fight | 鬥 | *tˁok-s | |
| 54 | the fire | 火 | *ˁəjʔ | The initial could be *m̥-. |
| 55 | firewood | 薪 | *i | |
| 56 | the fish | 魚 | *a | |
| 57 | five | 五 | *C.ŋˁaʔ | |
| 58 | the flea | 蚤 | *tsˁuʔ | |
| 59 | to float | 泛 | *pʰ(r)m-s | |
| 59 | to float | 浮 | *m.b(r)u | |
| 59 | to float | 游 | *ru | |
| 60 | to flow | 流 | *ru | |
| 61 | the flower | 華 | *N-qʷʰˁra | |
| 62 | to fly (move through air) | 飛 | *Cə.pə | |
| 63 | the fog | 霧 | *kə.m(r)k-s | |
| 64 | the foot | 足 | *ok | |
| 64 | the foot | 脚 | *ak | |
| 65 | the forest | 林 | *əm | |
| 66 | to forget | 忘 | *maŋ | Cognate with 亡 *maŋ ‘flee; disappear; die’. |
| 67 | four | 四 | *s.li-s | |
| 68 | the fox | 狐 | *ʷˁa | |
| 69 | the frog | 鼃 | *qʷˁre | Onomatopoeia |
| 70 | the front (front side) | 前 | *ˁen | |
| 71 | the frost | 霜 | *raŋ | |
| 72 | the fruit | 實 | *mə.li | |
| 73 | full | 充 | *tʰuŋ | |
| 73 | full | 滿 | *mˁʔ | |
| 73 | full | 盈 | *leŋ (< *liŋ?) | |
| 74 | to give | 畀 | *pi-s | |
| 75 | the goat | 羊 | *ɢaŋ | |
| 76 | good | 好 | *qʰˁuʔ | |
| 76 | good | 嘉 | *kˁ⟨r⟩aj | |
| 76 | good | 臧 | *ˁaŋ | |
| 76 | good | 良 | *aŋ | |
| 76 | good | 佳 | *ˁre | |
| 76 | good | 善 | *eʔ | |
| 77 | the grass | 薦 | *Cə.tsˁə-s | |
| 77 | the grass | 草 | *ˁuʔ | |
| 78 | green | 綠 | *pə.rok | |
| 78 | green | 蒼 | *ˁaŋ | |
| 79 | the hail | 霰 | *sˁr-s | |
| 79 | the hail | 雹 | *C.ˁruk | |
| 80 | the hair (of the head) | 髮 | *pot | |
| 81 | the hand | 手 | *n̥uʔ | |
| 82 | hard | 堅 | *kˁi | |
| 82 | hard | 剛 | *kˁaŋ | |
| 83 | he or she (third person singular) | 其 | *gə | Also plural |
| 83 | he or she (third person singular) | 之 | *tə | Object pronoun. Also plural |
| 84 | the head | 首 | *l̥uʔ | The main word in this meaning |
| 84 | the head | 元 | *o | |
| 85 | to hear | 聞 | *mu | |
| 86 | the heart | 心 | *səm | |
| 87 | heavy | 重 | *N-t⟨r⟩oŋʔ | |
| 88 | here | 此 | *e(j)ʔ | Also ‘this’ |
| 89 | to hide (conceal) | 匿 | *nrk | |
| 89 | to hide (conceal) | 隱 | *(r)əʔ | |
| 90 | high / tall | 卓 | *tˁrawk | |
| 90 | high / tall | 高 | *Cə.ˁaw | Related to 喬 below. |
| 90 | high / tall | 喬 | *(r)aw | |
| 91 | to hold | 執 | *ip | |
| 91 | to hold | 持 | *rə | |
| 92 | the hoof | 蹢 = 蹏 | *tˁek | |
| 93 | horizontal | 橫 | *C.gʷˁraŋ | |
| 94 | the horn (keratinized skin) | 角 | *C.ˁrok | |
| 95 | the horse | 馬 | *mˁraʔ | A loan from a more westerly Sino-Tibetan language, see Sagart et. al. 2019. |
| 96 | hot | 熱 | *C.nat | |
| 97 | the house | 屋 | *qˁok | |
| 98 | hundred | 百 | *pˁrak | |
| 99 | to hunt | 狩 | *s.tuʔ-s | Related to 獸 *s.tʰu(ʔ)-s ‘(wild) animal’ |
| 99 | to hunt | 獵 | *rp | |
| 99 | to hunt | 畋 | *lˁiŋ | Cognate with 田 *lˁiŋ ‘field’ |
| 100 | the husband | 夫 | *p(r)a | Also ‘adult man’, the original meaning |
| 101 | I (first person singular) | 吾 | *ŋˁa | |
| 102 | the ice | 冰 | *p.rəŋ | |
| 103 | inside | 內 | *nˁp-s | Related to 入 *np ‘enter’ |
| 104 | to kill | 殺 | *s⟨r⟩at | |
| 105 | to knead | |||
| 106 | the knee | 膝 | *s-tsik | |
| 107 | knife | 刀 | *C.tˁaw | |
| 108 | to know (something) | 知 | *tre | |
| 109 | the lake | 湖 | *ˁa | |
| 110 | late | 晚 | *mʔ | |
| 111 | to laugh | 笑 | *aw-s | |
| 112 | the leaf | 葉 | *lp | |
| 113 | to learn | 學 | *m-kˁruk | m-volitional of 覺 *kˁruk ‘be aware’ |
| 114 | left | 左 | *tsˁaʔ | Also ‘to assist’, the primary meaning |
| 115 | to lick | 舐 | *Cə.leʔ | |
| 116 | to lie down | 臥 | *ˁj-s | |
| 117 | light (of weight) | 輕 | *eŋ | |
| 118 | the lip (the lips) | 脣 | *sə.dur | |
| 119 | the liver | 肝 | *s.kˁa | |
| 120 | long | 長 | *Cə--traŋ | |
| 121 | the louse | 蝨 | *srik | |
| 122 | the lung | 肺 | *pʰo-s | |
| 123 | the man (male human) | 男 | *nˁm | |
| 124 | many | 多 | *ˁaj | |
| 125 | to marry (a man marries a woman) | 娶 | *ʰoʔ-s | Etymologically from 取 *tsʰoʔ ‘take’ |
| 126 | the meat | 肉 | *k.nuk | |
| 127 | middle | 央 | *ʔaŋ | |
| 127 | middle | 中 | *truŋ | |
| 128 | the moon | 月 | *ʷat | |
| 129 | morning | 晨 | *ər | |
| 130 | the mosquito | 蚊 | *C.mə | |
| 131 | the mother | 母 | *məʔ | |
| 132 | the mountain | 山 | *s-ŋrar | |
| 133 | the mouse or rat | 鼠 | *aʔ | |
| 134 | the mouth | 口 | *kʰˁ(r)oʔ | |
| 135 | the mud | 泥 | *C.nˁ | |
| 136 | the nail (fingernail or claw) | 㕚 | *ˁ⟨r⟩uʔ | |
| 137 | the name | 名 | *C.meŋ | |
| 138 | narrow | 柞 = 窄 | *ˁrak | |
| 138 | narrow | 狹 | *N-kˁ⟨r⟩ep | Cognate with 挾 *m-kˁep ‘clasp’, 梜 *C.kˁ⟨r⟩ep ‘chopsticks’, etc. |
| 139 | near | 邇 | *nʔ | |
| 139 | near | 近 | *N-kərʔ | |
| 140 | the neck | 脰 | *kə.dˁok-s | |
| 140 | the neck | 領 | *eŋʔ | |
| 141 | the needle (for sewing) | 箴 | *t.əm | |
| 142 | new | 新 | *s.tsʰi | |
| 143 | nine | 九 | *uʔ | |
| 144 | the nit | |||
| 145 | noon | 午 | *.qʰˁaʔ | A cyclical sign in the Shang oracular inscriptions, acquiring the meaning ‘noon’ in late Zhou. |
| 146 | the nose | 鼻 | *m-bi-s | |
| 147 | old (of person) | 老 | *C.rˁuʔ | |
| 148 | one | 一 | *ʔi | |
| 149 | the otter | 獺 | *r̥ˁat, *ˁat | |
| 150 | outside | 外 | *ʷˁa-s | |
| 151 | the pig | 豕 | *l̥ajʔ | |
| 152 | to plant (vegetables, rice) | 栽 | *ˁə | |
| 152 | to plant (vegetables, rice) | 種 | *(mə-)toŋʔ-s | |
| 153 | to play | 玩 | *ˁo-s | |
| 154 | to pull | 抴 | *lt | |
| 155 | to push | 推 | *tʰˁuj | |
| 156 | the rain | 雨 | *C.ɢʷ(r)aʔ | |
| 157 | the rainbow | 虹 | *m-kˁoŋ, *kˁroŋ-s | |
| 158 | red | 朱 | *to | |
| 158 | red | 䞓 | *t-kʰreŋ | |
| 158 | red | 彤 | *N-rˁu | |
| 158 | red | 赤 | *(r)Ak | |
| 159 | to reside (live) | 宅 | *m-tˁ⟨r⟩ak | |
| 160 | the rice plant | 稻 | *ˁuʔ | |
| 161 | right | 右 | *ʷəʔ | |
| 162 | the river | 水 | *s.turʔ | Also ‘water’, see # 229 |
| 163 | the road | 路 | *Cə.rˁak-s | |
| 164 | the root | 根 | *ˁə | |
| 165 | the rope | 繩 | *Cə-m.rəŋ | |
| 166 | round | 圓 = 圜 | *ɢʷ⟨r⟩en | |
| 167 | to run | 走 | *ˁoʔ | |
| 167 | to run | 奔 | *pˁur | |
| 168 | the salt | 鹺 | *N-ˁaj | |
| 168 | the salt | 鹽 | *m | |
| 169 | salty | 鹹 | *Cə.ˁrm | |
| 170 | the sand | 沙 | *sˁraj | |
| 171 | to scratch | 搔 | *s-ˁu | |
| 172 | the sea | 海 | *m̥ˁəʔ | |
| 173 | to see | 見 | *ˁen-s | |
| 174 | the seed | 種 | *k.toŋʔ | |
| 175 | seven | 七 | *i | Possibly *s.n̥i |
| 176 | sharp | 利 | *C.ri-s | |
| 177 | the sheep | 羊 | *ɢaŋ | |
| 178 | to shoot (an arrow) | 射 | *Cə.lAk-s | |
| 179 | short | 短 | *tˁorʔ | |
| 180 | the shoulder | 肩 | *ˁe | |
| 181 | shy | |||
| 182 | the sickle | 鎌 | *em | |
| 183 | to sing | 歌 | *ˁaj | |
| 184 | six | 六 | *k.ruk | |
| 185 | the skin | 膚 | *pra | |
| 185 | the skin | 皮 | *m-(r)aj | |
| 186 | the sky | 天 | *l̥ˁi | |
| 187 | to sleep | 寐 | *mi-s | |
| 187 | to sleep | 寢 | *imʔ | |
| 188 | small | 微 | *məj | |
| 188 | small | 細 | *ˁe(k)-s | |
| 188 | small | 小 | *ewʔ | |
| 189 | to smell (perceive odor) (transitive) | 嗅 | *qʰu(ʔ)-s | |
| 190 | the smoke | 煙 | *ˁi | |
| 191 | smooth | 滑 | *Nə-gˁrut | |
| 192 | the snake | 蛇 | *Cə.lAj | |
| 193 | the snow | 雪 | *ot | |
| 194 | soft | 柔 | *nu | |
| 195 | the son | 子 | *tsəʔ | More generally ‘son (or daughter) of’. Cognate with 字 *mə-dzə(ʔ)-s ‘breed’ |
| 196 | the sparrow | 雀 | *ewk | |
| 197 | the spider | 蜘蛛 | *tre-tro | |
| 198 | to spit | 唾 | *tʰˁoj-s | |
| 199 | to stand | 立 | *k.rəp | |
| 200 | the star | 星 | *s-tsʰˁeŋ | Related to 清 *tsʰeŋ ‘clear (adj.)’ |
| 201 | to steal | 盜 | *ˁaw(k)-s | |
| 202 | the stick | 杖 | *m-raŋʔ | |
| 203 | the stone (a piece of) | 石 | *dAk | |
| 204 | straight | 直 | *N-t⟨r⟩ək | |
| 205 | the sun | 日 | *C.nik | |
| 206 | the tail | 尾 | *əjʔ | |
| 207 | ten | 十 | *t.əp | |
| 208 | that | 彼 | *pajʔ | |
| 209 | there | 彼 | *pajʔ | |
| 210 | thick | 厚 | *Cə.ˁ(r)oʔ | |
| 211 | the thigh | 股 | *kʷˁaʔ | |
| 212 | thin (object) | 扁 | *pˁeʔ | |
| 213 | to think (reflect) | 思 | *ə | |
| 213 | to think (reflect) | 想 | *aŋʔ | |
| 214 | this | 此 | *e(j)ʔ | |
| 215 | thou (second person singular) | 爾 | *nˁʔ | |
| 215 | thou (second person singular) | 汝 | *naʔ | |
| 216 | three | 三 | *s.rum | |
| 217 | to throw | 投 | *ˁo | |
| 218 | the thunder | 靁 | *C.rˁuj | |
| 219 | the tiger | 虎 | *qʰˁraʔ | |
| 220 | today | 今 | *rm | More generally ‘now’ |
| 221 | tomorrow | 明 | *mraŋ | Also ‘bright, clear’, the primary meaning |
| 222 | the tongue | 舌 | *mə.lat | |
| 223 | the tooth (front) | 齒 | *t-ʰə(ŋ)ʔ or *t.ŋ̊əʔ | |
| 224 | the tree | 木 | *C.mˁok | |
| 225 | twenty | 二十 | *ni-s t.əp | ‘two-ten’ (fused variant of the preceding) |
| 225 | twenty | 廿 | *np | |
| 226 | two | 二 | *ni-s | |
| 227 | to vomit | 嘔 | *qˁ(r)oʔ | |
| 228 | to walk | 行 | *Cə.ˁraŋ | Also ‘to go’ |
| 229 | the water | 水 | *s.turʔ | Also ‘river’, see # 162 |
| 230 | we (first person plural inclusive) | |||
| 231 | wet | 濕 | *ip | |
| 232 | what | 何 | *ˁaj | |
| 232 | what | 胡 | *ˁa | Perhaps a reduced form of the preceding |
| 233 | the wheat | 麥 | *m-rˁək | |
| 234 | where | 爰 | *ɢʷa | |
| 235 | white | 白 | *bˁrak | Also ‘clear’, the original meaning |
| 236 | who | 誰 | *uj | |
| 237 | the wife | 婦 | *mə.bəʔ | |
| 237 | the wife | 妻 | *ˁəj | |
| 238 | the wind | 風 | *prəm | |
| 239 | the wing | 翅 | *s-kʰe-s | |
| 240 | to wipe | 拭 | *l̥ək | |
| 241 | the wolf | 狼 | *ˁaŋ | |
| 242 | the woman | 女 | *nraʔ | See # 32 ‘daughter’ |
| 243 | the wood (material) | 材 | *ˁə | |
| 244 | to sow (broadcast, scatter seeds) | 播 | *pˁar-s | |
| 245 | the year | 年 | *C.nˁi | Also ‘harvest’, the primary meaning |
| 246 | yellow | 黃 | *N-kʷˁaŋ | Cognate with 光 *kʷˁaŋ ‘light, brightness’ |
| 247 | yesterday | 昨 | *ˁak | |
| 248 | you (second person plural) | |||
| 249 | young | 幼 | *(r)iw-s | |
| 250 | the shit, excrement | 屎 | *ijʔ |