Zi:巳

巳 [sì] (​古) fetus/embryo (​胎​儿); (​地​支) 6th Earthly Branch; (HDZ:) …; (​生​肖) ​蛇; ​嗣; ​起; (​农​历) … [yǐ] ​已 (​􂥷​㠯​以) (!​􂤸​己)

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

►⁸sì ​巳 n. 6th of the 12 Earthly Branches

The Shuōwén Seal form of 巳(​􂥶) sì ‘fetus/embryo’ (​地​支) is said at the entry for ​包(​􁣘) bāo ‘pregnant’ to depict a fetus/embryo (in the ​胞​宫 ‘womb’); but in the SW entry for 巳 itself the gloss conflates 巳(​􂥶) sì with ​已(​􂥷​㠯​以) yǐ ‘already/use’, ​似(​􁗢​佀) sì ‘like/similar’.
    Compare: ​己(​􂤸) jǐ ‘self’, ​已(​􂥷​㠯​以) yǐ ‘already; use’, ​始(​􂊌) shǐ ‘begin’.
    Note: In Hàn times the readings of the two characters 巳/​已 were not distinguished (cf. ​似), and the meanings/usages were “different but the same” (DYC); in the SW entry for ​已(​􂥷​㠯​以) yǐ ‘already/use’ that character is said to be 巳(​􂥶) sì inverted; the head of 巳(​􂥶) sì is like that of ​子(​􂥍​𠯃) zǐ ‘child/offspring’, and so the body of 巳(​􂥶) sì is in the “fetal position” (with arms tucked-in; cf. ​夗); the character ​已(​􂥷​㠯​以) yǐ ‘already/use’ depicts the fetus in head-down position “ready” for easy (non-breach) birth; cf. ​𠫓(​􂥧​􂥨​𡿮​㐬) tū, ​始(​􂊌) shǐ ‘begin’, ​起(​􀐵​􀐶​𨑔) qǐ ‘get up’.
    Compare: ​祀(​􀀪) sì ‘sacrifice’, in which the component 巳(​􂥶) sì (phonosemantic) functions as if it were 巳/​已(​􂥷​㠯) yǐ ‘end’, as in ​始(​􂊌) shǐ ‘begin’; for antonymous SW glossing, cf. ​乱.
    Compare: ​起(​􀐵​􀐶​𨑔) qǐ ‘(able to) get up’, in which the old component is 巳(​􂥶), not ​己(​􂤸).
    Note: SW also notes the association of 巳(​􂥶) sì with the shape of the ​蛇 ‘snake’ (cf. ​生​肖, ​十​二​屬), but these are relatively late associations; cf. ​甲 (​天​干).
    Older graphs associated with 巳(​􂥶) sì are similar to the Seal form, and some resemble ​子(​􂥍​𠯃) zǐ ‘child’.
    “[巳] The figure of an embryo, a fetus. See ​包 bāo. In the maternal womb, the child is 巳 or ​包; at birth, ​ or ​㐬; when swaddled, ​子; when it begins to walk, ​兒” —Wieger.
    Compare: ​祀(​􀀪), ​起(​􀐵​􀐶​𨑔), ​攺(​􀣖​𢻰), ​汜(​􁺳), ​巸(​􂄙), ​熙(​􁯄​𤌇), ​媐(​􂊾), ​圯(​􂚻).
    HDZ: 巳 : sì : (​甲​金) 巳​字​形​又​与​子​同, ​象​胎​儿 (cf. ​包; ​依); ​胎​儿 (​兒: ​孺​子; ​子: ​襁​褓; ​𡿮: ​方​生​顺​出; 巳: ​未​生​在​腹); (​地​支) ​第​六​位; (​生​肖) ​蛇; ​嗣; ​起; (​农​历) ​三​月​三​日​上巳​节 • yǐ : ​已, (DYC:) …​漢​人巳​午​與巳/​已​然​無​二​音, ​其​義​則​異​而​同​也
►references: Guǎngyùn:251.32; Wieger:85a; Karlgren:AD808,GSR967a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:2.984.2; Mathews:5590; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:326.12; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:004.0.07; Wáng(1993):24
►components: ​​乚
►Cantonese: jih-
Shuōwén: ​􂥶(巳) ​􁢭(​𢎛)
►stroke 巳 (... strokes)   
►list characters containing 巳 as a component
►list words containing 巳 (most common words first)
Unicode: U+5DF3
►web links for ‘巳’
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