<p>my best guess:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>U+4E0D    不   ⿱一③</p>
</blockquote>

<p>不 is a top-bottom structure ⿱, with top component "一", ③ means components with three strokes, not yet defined.</p>

<p>you may look at these two:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>U+4E1A    业   ⿱④一</p>
</blockquote>

<p>业 is a top-bottom structure, with the top component with 4 strokes, then the bottom component "一"</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>U+4E1D    丝   ⿱⿰②②一</p>
</blockquote>

<p>丝 is a top-bottom, and further, the top component could be divided into left-right component. so, ②② means two components, each with two strokes, left-right relationship, on top, then bottom component is "一"</p>

<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-24T00:56:05.717Z
2018-07-24T00:56:05.717Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>The numbers are the strokes remaining. E.g.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/hFIOs.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/hFIOs.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>It takes 3 strokes to write</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OMACz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OMACz.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>Another example:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/OH7PH.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/OH7PH.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>It takes 7 strokes to write</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/44JL4.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/44JL4.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>These numbers are placeholders for things that aren't encoded.</p>

<hr>

<p>That 与 example has two decompositions because the one on the right (⿻②一[<strong>J</strong>]) is <strong>J</strong>apanese, which writes that character differently.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/j1vun.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/j1vun.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-24T00:54:36.170Z
The document that OP is looking at is https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cjkvi/cjkvi-ids/master/ids.txt
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-24T00:53:40.333Z
2018-07-24T00:53:40.333Z
dROOOze
<p>I was recommended <a href="https://github.com/cjkvi/cjkvi-ids" rel="nofollow noreferrer">"character decomposition database"</a> on this site.</p>

<p>I have started to explore it and found, that some decompositions I don't understand, like</p>

<pre><code>U+4E0D  不   ⿱一③
U+4E0E  与   ⿹②一[GTKV]   ⿻②一[J]
</code></pre>

<p>visual representation on my machine</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/U6248.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/U6248.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>What do these circled numbers mean? Or they are just incorrectly displayed on my machine?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-23T23:10:54.827Z
Do you know how ideographic descriptions work? It should be fairly obvious what those numbers mean if you do. Some of those decompositions produce things that aren’t encoded yet, so the numbers serve as a placeholder.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-24T06:28:47.427Z
I was understanding many except numbers. Now I also understand numbers and think it is obvious, but was not thinking this before. I am a newbie and idea of number of strokes didn't came to me.
Dims
<characters><character-components>
How to understand "ideographic" decomposition of characters like 不 and 与
# How to understand "ideographic" decomposition of characters like 不 and 与

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-23)

I was recommended ["character decomposition database"](https://github.com/cjkvi/cjkvi-ids) on this site.

I have started to explore it and found, that some decompositions I don't understand, like

```
U+4E0D  不   ⿱一③
U+4E0E  与   ⿹②一[GTKV]   ⿻②一[J]

```

visual representation on my machine

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/U6248.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/U6248.png)

What do these circled numbers mean? Or they are just incorrectly displayed on my machine?

**Tags:** characters, character-components

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Do you know how ideographic descriptions work? It should be fairly obvious what those numbers mean if you do. Some of those decompositions produce things that aren’t encoded yet, so the numbers serve as a placeholder.  
> **username_0**: I was understanding many except numbers. Now I also understand numbers and think it is obvious, but was not thinking this before. I am a newbie and idea of number of strokes didn't came to me.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-07-24. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

my best guess:

> U+4E0D 不 ⿱一③

不 is a top-bottom structure ⿱, with top component "一", ③ means components with three strokes, not yet defined.

you may look at these two:

> U+4E1A 业 ⿱④一

业 is a top-bottom structure, with the top component with 4 strokes, then the bottom component "一"

> U+4E1D 丝 ⿱⿰②②一

丝 is a top-bottom, and further, the top component could be divided into left-right component. so, ②② means two components, each with two strokes, left-right relationship, on top, then bottom component is "一"

have fun :)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-07-24. Score: 1

The numbers are the strokes remaining. E.g.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/hFIOs.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/hFIOs.png)

It takes 3 strokes to write

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/OMACz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/OMACz.png)

Another example:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/OH7PH.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/OH7PH.png)

It takes 7 strokes to write

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/44JL4.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/44JL4.png)

These numbers are placeholders for things that aren't encoded.

---

That 与 example has two decompositions because the one on the right (⿻②一[**J**]) is **J**apanese, which writes that character differently.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/j1vun.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/j1vun.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The document that OP is looking at is https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cjkvi/cjkvi-ids/master/ids.txt  

---

