虹 (hóng)

rainbow

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 虫 represents the meaning and 工 represents the sound. Originally was a pictograph of a creature, with two heads on each end, that resembled a rainbow.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“虹,螮蝀也。狀似蟲。从虫,工聲。《明堂》、《月令》曰:‘虹始見。’”

Components