<p>Axel Schuessler, in his <em>ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese</em>, writes:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>wǒ</strong> 我 (ŋâ[B]) <strong>LH</strong> ŋai[B], <strong>OCM</strong> *ŋâiʔ</p>
  
  <p>Independent pronoun 'I, we' [OB, BI, Shi], in classical texts 'I
  (stressed), we'....Originally, the graph for <em>wǒ</em> seems to have been
  created to write the name of a Shang period people/country, 'sheep' 羊
  was later added 義 (prob. signifying pastoralists) in order to
  distinguish the name from the pronoun.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>He cites Sagart <em>TP</em> 81, 4–5, 1995: 328–342.  (Probably <a href="https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/file/index/docid/105097/filename/CHINESE_BUY_AND_SELL_AND_THE_DIRECTION_OF_BORROWINGS_.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a>, though I'm not sure.)  This doesn't mean the graph doesn't originally depict a rake (as proposed by Richard Sears of chineseetymology.org) or a saw-toothed weapon with a long handle (as proposed by Ash Henson and co. at the Outlier Dictionary), but it does suggest that in any case, by the time it was 假借 borrowed for the pronoun, it was apparently already used figuratively to refer to a country or its people.</p>

<p>Schuessler goes on to say that Mandarin <em>wǒ</em> is a colloquial archaism; some northern dialects have the expected <em>ě</em>, while some southern dialects have preserved the Old Chinese rhyme shown above.</p>

<p>Key: <strong>LH</strong> = Later Han, <strong>OCM</strong> = Old Chinese Minimal, OB = Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions, BI = bronze inscriptions, Shi = 詩經 Shījīng (therefore, appears no later than 600 BC), <em>TP</em> = 通報 T'oung Pao (a Wade-Giles-ish rendering), a journal on traditional Chinese culture founded in 1890.  The pronunciation in parentheses is the Middle Chinese reconstruction; the [B] is actually a superscript and represents 上聲 shǎngshēng, the second of the four Middle Chinese tones, from which evolved the modern Mandarin third tone.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-10T21:42:43.337Z
2017-02-10T22:46:08.580Z
2017-02-10T22:46:08.580Z
Brian Tung
<p><strong>Outlier</strong>'s entry for 我 says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我 depicts a saw-toothed weapon with a long handle. The modern meaning "I, me" is unrelated to the form.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>My best guess is: <strong>俄</strong> - modern pronunciation <em>is</em> e2 - but the logic of 亻[person] meaning + [weapon] pronunciation 我 - fits the origin of a lot Chinese characters.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-09T16:24:52.510Z
from http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E6%88%91 The character for "I" was originally a rake 耙,borrowed for its pronunciation.
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-10T00:18:30.023Z
I think might then be 人！ The modern sound 我 and Ancient Greek have phonetic and in pinyin written similarities: philo, love,like: φιλῶ (uncontracted = φιλέ-ω) ω like o in bone. The verb ending indicates the person, here I.
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-10T21:34:04.570Z
I'm not sure I would consider that Web site authoritative.
Brian Tung
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-02-14T12:35:03.843Z
What are the downvotes for?
Mou某
<characters>
If the form for the character "I" (我) had been related to its meaning - how would it look?
# If the form for the character "I" (我) had been related to its meaning - how would it look?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-02-09)

**Outlier**'s entry for 我 says:

> 我 depicts a saw-toothed weapon with a long handle. The modern meaning "I, me" is unrelated to the form.

My best guess is: **俄** - modern pronunciation *is* e2 - but the logic of 亻[person] meaning + [weapon] pronunciation 我 - fits the origin of a lot Chinese characters.

**Tags:** characters

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: from http://www.chineseetymology.org/CharacterEtymology.aspx?characterInput=%E6%88%91 The character for "I" was originally a rake 耙,borrowed for its pronunciation.  
> **username_2**: I think might then be 人！ The modern sound 我 and Ancient Greek have phonetic and in pinyin written similarities: philo, love,like: φιλῶ (uncontracted = φιλέ-ω) ω like o in bone. The verb ending indicates the person, here I.  
> **username_3**: I'm not sure I would consider that Web site authoritative.  
> **username_0**: What are the downvotes for?  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-02-10. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Axel Schuessler, in his *ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese*, writes:

> **wǒ** 我 (ŋâ[B]) **LH** ŋai[B], **OCM** \*ŋâiʔ
>
> Independent pronoun 'I, we' [OB, BI, Shi], in classical texts 'I
> (stressed), we'....Originally, the graph for *wǒ* seems to have been
> created to write the name of a Shang period people/country, 'sheep' 羊
> was later added 義 (prob. signifying pastoralists) in order to
> distinguish the name from the pronoun.

He cites Sagart *TP* 81, 4–5, 1995: 328–342. (Probably [this article](https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/file/index/docid/105097/filename/CHINESE_BUY_AND_SELL_AND_THE_DIRECTION_OF_BORROWINGS_.pdf), though I'm not sure.) This doesn't mean the graph doesn't originally depict a rake (as proposed by Richard Sears of chineseetymology.org) or a saw-toothed weapon with a long handle (as proposed by Ash Henson and co. at the Outlier Dictionary), but it does suggest that in any case, by the time it was 假借 borrowed for the pronoun, it was apparently already used figuratively to refer to a country or its people.

Schuessler goes on to say that Mandarin *wǒ* is a colloquial archaism; some northern dialects have the expected *ě*, while some southern dialects have preserved the Old Chinese rhyme shown above.

Key: **LH** = Later Han, **OCM** = Old Chinese Minimal, OB = Shang dynasty oracle bone inscriptions, BI = bronze inscriptions, Shi = 詩經 Shījīng (therefore, appears no later than 600 BC), *TP* = 通報 T'oung Pao (a Wade-Giles-ish rendering), a journal on traditional Chinese culture founded in 1890. The pronunciation in parentheses is the Middle Chinese reconstruction; the [B] is actually a superscript and represents 上聲 shǎngshēng, the second of the four Middle Chinese tones, from which evolved the modern Mandarin third tone.


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