弘 - Dong Chinese dictionary

hóng

vast

loud sound

Phonosemantic compound. 弓 represents the sound and 口 represents the original meaning "loud sound". The meaning later extended to "great", "vast".

Components

弓 Sound component

gōng

bow

口 Meaning component

kǒu

mouth

口 hints at the original meaning of 弘, "loud sound", which is no longer the most common meaning of 弘 in modern Mandarin.

Due to historical stylistic changes, this component is less similar to 口 than it was in ancient scripts.

Evolution

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze script

Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Regular script

Modern

Definitions

hóng

enlarge, expand; liberal, great; great; liberal

Most common words with 弘

Freq.	Word	Meaning
	弘	great
	弘扬	to enhance
	恢弘	vast
	弘治	Hongzhi Emperor, reign name of ninth Ming emperor 朱祐樘[ZhūYòutáng] (1470-1505), reigned 1487-1505, Temple name 明孝宗[MíngXiàozōng]
	殷弘绪	François Xavier d'Entrecolles (1664-1741), French Jesuit missionary to Kangxi court