friend (朋友); to form a clique (朋党)
朋 means friend — the old shape pictures two strings of shells, not two moons.
GF0025–2021 character list · 一级WHOLE GLYPH & STRUCTURE
ZDIC describes 朋 as a pictograph — in the older account, two paired strings of shells; the modern pieces only look like the character 月.
WHOLE CHARACTER
friend (朋友); to form a clique (朋党)
朋 means friend — the old shape pictures two strings of shells, not two moons.
ZDIC describes 朋 as a pictograph — in the older account, two paired strings of shells; the modern pieces only look like the character 月.
LEFT SHELL-STRING VISUAL PIECE
moon; month
月 can be the moon/month source or a flesh-related form in other characters; the distinction is stated where relevant.
In 朋: left shell-string visual piece Shaped like 月, but no moon meaning is claimed; the source treats 朋 as a pictograph.
RIGHT SHELL-STRING VISUAL PIECE
moon; month
月 can be the moon/month source or a flesh-related form in other characters; the distinction is stated where relevant.
In 朋: right shell-string visual piece The paired right piece; same limited visual status.
Checking for a Mandarin voice…