<p>声 is a pictograph of an old stone instrument.  The radical 殳 is a hand hitting something with a stick.  The ear 耳 below 聲, must represent the hearing of the sound from this instrument being played.  See the book: "China: Empire of Living Symbols" by Cecilia Lindqvist.  If I remember correctly it is in there.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-02T22:59:19.960Z
2016-03-02T22:59:19.960Z
MunHo
<p>Yes,「声」represented the word now written as「磬」(<em>stone chimes</em>).</p>

<p>「声」was originally part of「殸」(<em>stone chimes</em>), and this character later became「磬」. Later on, people began cutting off the components from「聲」(<em>sound</em>) to use「声」as a shorthand for「聲」(<em>sound</em>), but「磬」and「聲」represented different words.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>「聲」(<em>sound</em>) is comprised of「殸」(<em>stone chimes being struck</em>) and「耳」(<em>ear</em>).</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_bone_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EGGFC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EGGFC.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">前</a>7.42.1<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=8613&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集8613</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring_and_Autumn_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">春秋</a><br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/c6lBo.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/c6lBo.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>鎛<br>　</kbd><kbd><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_seal_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">篆</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/HChcD.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/HChcD.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuowen_Jiezi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">說文解字</a><br>　</kbd><kbd>今<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/KSBNj.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/KSBNj.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>

<p>「声」depicts <em>stone chimes</em>「石」suspended with <em>threads/string</em>. In「殸」, <em>a hand holding a striking implement</em>「殳」was added to emphasise that the instrument is meant to be struck. Finally, another semantic「石」(<em>rock, stone</em>) was added on to「殸」, as a further emphasis that the instrument was made of stone.</p>

<p>In the modern form, the <em>threads</em> used for suspending the chimes is written as「士」.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ExxHL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ExxHL.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">乙</a>3212<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=13505&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集13505</a></kbd><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jPIRK.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jPIRK.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>乙1277<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=376&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集376</a></kbd><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/IzJot.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/IzJot.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>己侯貉子簋<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=3977&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成3977</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty#Eastern_Han" rel="nofollow noreferrer">東漢</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clerical_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">隸</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/xN1AF.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/xN1AF.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>景北海碑陰<br>　</kbd><kbd>今<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/EPJ6m.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/EPJ6m.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></p>
  
  <p>「石」was originally a depiction of <em>stone chimes</em>, and its original meaning is <em>stone, rock</em>. A <em>distinguishing symbol</em>「口」was added later to mark the name of an ancient region called「石」, and is inherited in the modern form. The <em>stone chimes</em> component was later simplified into「厂」, then the strokes were further altered slightly into「丆」, resulting in the modern shape.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><strong>References:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li>黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》</li>
<li><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">小學堂</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chinese-linguipedia.org/search_source.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中華語文知識庫・漢字源流</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">國學大師</a>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">郭沫若《甲骨文合集》</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-08T09:24:07.097Z
2019-04-09T07:21:12.183Z
2019-04-09T07:21:12.183Z
dROOOze
<p>I see that 声 has an entry in the Kangxi dictionary, but every site seems to define 声 as a simplification of 聲. Does 声 also exist as a traditional character? If not, then what's the glyph origin behind 殸?</p>

<etymology><traditional-characters><traditional-vs-simplified><glyph-origin>
Does 声 exist as a traditional character?
# Does 声 exist as a traditional character?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-01)

I see that 声 has an entry in the Kangxi dictionary, but every site seems to define 声 as a simplification of 聲. Does 声 also exist as a traditional character? If not, then what's the glyph origin behind 殸?

**Tags:** etymology, traditional-characters, traditional-vs-simplified, glyph-origin


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-04-08. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Yes,「声」represented the word now written as「磬」(*stone chimes*).

「声」was originally part of「殸」(*stone chimes*), and this character later became「磬」. Later on, people began cutting off the components from「聲」(*sound*) to use「声」as a shorthand for「聲」(*sound*), but「磬」and「聲」represented different words.

> 「聲」(*sound*) is comprised of「殸」(*stone chimes being struck*) and「耳」(*ear*).

---

`商  
甲  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/EGGFC.png)  
前7.42.1  
合集8613``春秋  
金  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/c6lBo.png)  
鎛` `篆  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/HChcD.png)  
說文解字``今  
楷  
![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/KSBNj.png)`

「声」depicts *stone chimes*「石」suspended with *threads/string*. In「殸」, *a hand holding a striking implement*「殳」was added to emphasise that the instrument is meant to be struck. Finally, another semantic「石」(*rock, stone*) was added on to「殸」, as a further emphasis that the instrument was made of stone.

In the modern form, the *threads* used for suspending the chimes is written as「士」.

> `商  
> 甲  
> ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/ExxHL.png)  
> 乙3212  
> 合集13505``商  
> 甲  
> ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/jPIRK.png)  
> 乙1277  
> 合集376``西周  
> 金  
> ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/IzJot.png)  
> 己侯貉子簋  
> 集成3977``東漢  
> 隸  
> ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/xN1AF.png)  
> 景北海碑陰``今  
> 楷  
> ![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/EPJ6m.png)`
>
> 「石」was originally a depiction of *stone chimes*, and its original meaning is *stone, rock*. A *distinguishing symbol*「口」was added later to mark the name of an ancient region called「石」, and is inherited in the modern form. The *stone chimes* component was later simplified into「厂」, then the strokes were further altered slightly into「丆」, resulting in the modern shape.

---

**References:**

* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* 黃德寬《古文字譜系疏證》
* [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
* [中華語文知識庫・漢字源流](http://chinese-linguipedia.org/search_source.html)
* [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)
  + [郭沫若《甲骨文合集》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/)
  + [中國社會科學院考古研究所《殷周金文集成》](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-03-02. Score: 2

声 is a pictograph of an old stone instrument. The radical 殳 is a hand hitting something with a stick. The ear 耳 below 聲, must represent the hearing of the sound from this instrument being played. See the book: "China: Empire of Living Symbols" by Cecilia Lindqvist. If I remember correctly it is in there.


---

