<p>The difference between the two in writing should be clear from these drawings: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_35">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_35</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_34">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_34</a> and the stroke animations from <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A">http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A</a>
and <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82">http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82</a></p>

<p>夂 is normally used at the top (for example 条條修脩务務夐) or the left (for example 处) of a character, and 夊 at the bottom (for example 愛夏复) or the right (for example 致, see <a href="http://zhongwen.com/d/173/d80.htm">http://zhongwen.com/d/173/d80.htm</a>).</p>

<p>Originally both characters were quite different (see <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A">http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A</a>
and <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82">http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82</a>), but nowadays there are typically both written as 夂 by most people and most fonts don't make the distinction anymore.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-08T17:14:52.677Z
As I know, the 攵, also (informally) known as the 反文, is usually written as a right component, which is actually different from both 夂, the 折文, and 夊, as a bottom component.
Ruifeng Xie
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-07T20:55:52.537Z
2012-08-07T21:02:50.220Z
2012-08-07T21:02:50.220Z
BertR
<blockquote>
  <p>Originally both characters were quite different (...), but nowadays there are typically both written as 夂 by most people and most fonts don't make the distinction anymore.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Indeed <a href="https://xuehanyu.wikispaces.com/Radicals" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://xuehanyu.wikispaces.com/Radicals</a> mentions that "夊 (...) no modern characters; this radical is often omitted"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-13T05:57:44.897Z
That website is referring to '夊' which is a slight variant of '夂'
LegendLength
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-09-09T16:41:32.883Z
2017-09-09T16:41:32.883Z
Pascal V.
<h1>Short Answer</h1>

<p>The shapes「夂」and「夊」are writing variants. As a component of a character, the majority of the time it is just a「止」(picture of a foot) pointing in the opposite direction to「止」.</p>

<p>The dictionary definitions are tangential to the component meaning.</p>

<ul>
<li>「夊」is defined as <em>walking slowly</em>, an extended meaning from「止」, which represents <em>motion</em> in general.</li>
<li>「夂」is defined as <em>arriving from behind</em>, but this was probably made up. Apart from the single <em>Shuowen</em> definition, which all other dictionary definitions seem to stem from, there are no recorded words/expressions/phrases which contain「夂」meaning <em>arriving from behind</em>.</li>
</ul>

<hr>

<h1>Long Answer</h1>

<p><strong>Is there a difference between 夂 and 夊?</strong></p>

<p>The question is complicated through differing ways of writing these components throughout history, to this very day, often due to confusion as to what「夂」and「夊」actually <em>are</em>. In any given character, different fonts or language standards may use one or the other, or even use the unrelated「攵」.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>「攵」is completely unrelated to「夂」and「夊」. For reference,「攵」originally depicted a hand「又」holding a beating implement (stick, whip, staff).「攵」, or its variant「攴」, is heavily used as a semantic component to do with <em>disciplining</em>, <em>attacking</em>, or more generally <em>motion</em>.</p>
  
  <p><H1><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/Z9Mzu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Z9Mzu.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=13&amp;bh=2426.31&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">上博2426</a><br>合集27742</kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warring_States_period" rel="nofollow noreferrer">戰國</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_bronze_inscriptions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">金</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LBPIe.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LBPIe.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>燕侯載器<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=10583&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成10583</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_(state)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楚</a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_and_wooden_slips" rel="nofollow noreferrer">簡</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rO7GH.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rO7GH.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/reference/chuwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">包2</a>.99<br>　</kbd><kbd>現代<br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">楷</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/wgTjL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/wgTjL.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>「教」<br>　</kbd></H1></p>
  
  <p><sub><em>Shape evolution of the</em>「攵」<em>component, as shown in later forms in the character</em>「教」<em>. The character</em>「教」<em>depicts a child</em>「子」<em>learning arithmetic (represented by two</em><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%90%85" rel="nofollow noreferrer">「㐅」</a><em>, original character of</em>「五」<em>) under threat of being beaten by</em>「攵」<em>. The two</em>「㐅」<em>and</em>「子」<em>later fused into</em>「孝」<em>; the original meaning is better preserved in the Kangxi variant</em>「敎」<em>. The second form above shows the shape similarity to</em>「攴」<em>; here, the beating implement changed slightly to the shape of</em>「卜」<em>(Zhengzhang OC: /*poːɡ/) to provide a phonetic hint for</em>「攵」<em>(Zhengzhang OC: /*pʰoːɡ/, /*pʰroːɡ/).</em></sub></p>
  
  <p>Other examples of the use of「攵」include:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>「牧」, which depicts a cow「牛」being herded by a hand with a whip「攵」;</li>
  <li>「變」(<em>change</em>, Zhengzhang OC: <strong>/*prons/</strong>), phonetic component「䜌」(Zhengzhang OC: <strong>/*b·roːn/</strong>, <strong>/*b·ron/</strong>, <strong>/*b·rons/</strong>);</li>
  <li>「做」(<em>to make</em> or <em>do</em>), both semantic and phonetic component「作」corrupted into「估」;</li>
  <li>「改」(<em>change</em>, Zhengzhang OC: <strong>/*klɯːʔ/</strong>), phonetic component「己」(Zhengzhang OC: <strong>/*kɯʔ/</strong>);</li>
  <li>「攻」(<em>attack</em>), phonetic component「工」.</li>
  </ul>
</blockquote>

<p>「夊」was originally「止」(<em>a foot</em>), but pointing in the other direction:</p>

<h1><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/TwpjZ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TwpjZ.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">前</a>8.4.2<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=21837&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集21837</a></kbd><kbd><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_script" rel="nofollow noreferrer">篆</a><br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oXn7p.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oXn7p.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>現代<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/x883H.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/x883H.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></h1>

<p>Compare「止」:</p>

<h1><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/jl9RC.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/jl9RC.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a>1532<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=27434&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集27434</a></kbd></h1>

<p>Here's where things get tricky.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>「夊」did not originally represent a word; it was not an individual character (being found exclusively as part of other characters), nor appear to have any pronunciation, until the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Qin</a>-<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Han</a> era. The pronunciation recorded in dictionaries, <strong>楚危切</strong> (Mandarin <strong>suī</strong>), was a word meaning something like <em>slow strides</em>, variously represented as「綏」or「奞」. For all intents and purposes, as part of other characters, it is just a variant form of「止」.</p></li>
<li><p>The <em>shape of</em> (not the <em>word represented by</em>)「夂」is just a variant way of writing「夊」. Note that the stroke「㇏」is just for drawing the big toe and the outline of one side of the foot without the other toes.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gxCWm.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gxCWm.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>The difference in the shapes is trivially just whether the stroke「㇏」protrudes or not, and both shapes are seen, for example in「各」:</p>

<h1><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/0xsqZ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/0xsqZ.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">前</a>5.24.4<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=22001&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集22001</a></kbd><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Up1j3.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Up1j3.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">甲</a>2589<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=27625&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集27625</a></kbd></h1>

<p>This indicates that「夂」and「夊」are just variant ways of writing <em>upside-down</em>「止」. There was no such rule saying that the stroke must protrude when the component is on the bottom of the character and must not protrude when it's on the top; this is a convention made up later, possibly out of confusion about what「夂」and「夊」actually are, or possibly for aesthetics.</p>

<p><H1><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Zhou" rel="nofollow noreferrer">西周</a><br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/rmswb.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/rmswb.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>作冊夨令簋<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=4300&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成4300</a></kbd></H1></p>

<p><em>Despite their modern appearances, characters which contain</em>「夊」<em>on the bottom, such as</em>「後」<em>, have no requirement that the stroke must protrude.</em></p></li>
<li><p><em>Shuowen</em> confusingly lists a separate character with an identical shape to「夂」, and gave it a definition 从後至也 (<em>approaching from behind</em>) and pronunciation <strong>陟侈切</strong> (<strong>zhǐ</strong>). This definition was probably made-up, and is suggested to be a Simplified form of「致」(from where its definition and pronunciation was derived). For reference,「致」was originally comprised of「至」(both a semantic and phonetic component) and「人」(a semantic component); later on,「夊」was added and「人」was removed.</p>

<p><H1><kbd>西周<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qEDDW.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qEDDW.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>曶鼎<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=2838&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成2838</a></kbd><kbd><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">秦</a><br>簡<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lelcS.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lelcS.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shuihudi_Qin_bamboo_texts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">睡</a>ㆍ<a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">雜</a>35<br>　</kbd><kbd><br>篆<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/FaRrz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/FaRrz.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>說文解字<br>　</kbd><kbd>現代<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/VX3WL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VX3WL.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></H1></p>

<p>It is surmised that scholars didn't know what「夂/夊」was doing in this character, having not known that「人」was omitted previously, so forced a <em>Shuowen</em> definition into existence in an attempt to explain its presence in「致」.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Shuowen</em> also mentions「夂」in its entry for「冬」:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>四時盡也。从仌从夂。<strong>夂，古文終字。</strong></p>
</blockquote>

<p>This corresponds to some dictionaries listing the pronunciation <strong>zhōng</strong>. This component has an entirely different history, originally depicting objects hanging off the end of a connector, indicating the meaning <em>end</em>.</p>

<h1><kbd>商<br>甲<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/3wMeA.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3wMeA.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/JiaguwenReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">存</a>1183<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/jgwhj/?bhfl=1&amp;bh=11656&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">合集11656</a></kbd></h1>

<p>A line was later drawn across the character, bridging the two branches. To emphasise the meaning <em>winter</em>, sometimes「日」was added to emphasise <em>time</em> > <em>seasons</em>, and other times「仌/冫」was added to emphasise <em>cold</em> or <em>ice</em>:</p>

<p><H1><kbd>戰國<br>金<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/yTmJz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/yTmJz.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>陳璋方壺<br><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/yzjwjc/?bh=9703&amp;jgwfl=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">集成9703</a></kbd><kbd><br>篆<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/1GGh8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/1GGh8.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br>說文解字<br>　</kbd></H1></p>

<p>However, the crossing line made the shape prone to corruption into「夂/夊」, which leads on to the modern form.</p>

<p><H1><kbd>秦<br>簡<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/b1NfY.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/b1NfY.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/yanbian/Reference/QinwenziReference" rel="nofollow noreferrer">睡ㆍ秦</a>94<br>　</kbd><kbd>現代<br>楷<br><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/pV3n3.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/pV3n3.png" alt="enter image description here"></a><br><br>　</kbd></H1></p></li>
</ol>

<hr>

<h1>References:</h1>

<ul>
<li>季旭昇《說文新證》</li>
<li><a href="http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">小學堂</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.guoxuedashi.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">國學大師</a></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-08-31T12:15:41.647Z
2019-08-07T20:55:38.563Z
2019-08-07T20:55:38.563Z
dROOOze
<p>Looking at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangxi_radicals">the list of Kangxi radicals over at Wikipedia</a>, I just noticed something I haven't noticed before. Radical number 34 (夂) and 35 (夊) are virtually identical. I write these radicals in the exact same way and I've asked one native speaker who also says she writes them the same way. The example characters are 夆 and 夏.</p>

<p>Since I mostly use radicals to learn/teach mnemonics, I realise that the difference between these two is irrelevant. They mean (almost) the same thing and can therefore be used as one for mnemonic purposes.</p>

<p>However, I'm still curious about these two radicals. Is there a difference in how they are written? Is there a difference in meaning? And finally, how come that there are two very similar radicals which also has very similar meaning?</p>

<characters>
Is there a difference between 夂 and 夊?
# Is there a difference between 夂 and 夊?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-08-07)

Looking at [the list of Kangxi radicals over at Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangxi_radicals), I just noticed something I haven't noticed before. Radical number 34 (夂) and 35 (夊) are virtually identical. I write these radicals in the exact same way and I've asked one native speaker who also says she writes them the same way. The example characters are 夆 and 夏.

Since I mostly use radicals to learn/teach mnemonics, I realise that the difference between these two is irrelevant. They mean (almost) the same thing and can therefore be used as one for mnemonic purposes.

However, I'm still curious about these two radicals. Is there a difference in how they are written? Is there a difference in meaning? And finally, how come that there are two very similar radicals which also has very similar meaning?

**Tags:** characters

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-08-31. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

# Short Answer

The shapes「夂」and「夊」are writing variants. As a component of a character, the majority of the time it is just a「止」(picture of a foot) pointing in the opposite direction to「止」.

The dictionary definitions are tangential to the component meaning.

* 「夊」is defined as *walking slowly*, an extended meaning from「止」, which represents *motion* in general.
* 「夂」is defined as *arriving from behind*, but this was probably made up. Apart from the single *Shuowen* definition, which all other dictionary definitions seem to stem from, there are no recorded words/expressions/phrases which contain「夂」meaning *arriving from behind*.

---

# Long Answer

**Is there a difference between 夂 and 夊?**

The question is complicated through differing ways of writing these components throughout history, to this very day, often due to confusion as to what「夂」and「夊」actually *are*. In any given character, different fonts or language standards may use one or the other, or even use the unrelated「攵」.

> 「攵」is completely unrelated to「夂」and「夊」. For reference,「攵」originally depicted a hand「又」holding a beating implement (stick, whip, staff).「攵」, or its variant「攴」, is heavily used as a semantic component to do with *disciplining*, *attacking*, or more generally *motion*.
>
> # `商 甲 enter image description here 上博2426 合集27742``戰國 金 enter image description here 燕侯載器 集成10583``楚 簡 enter image description here 包2.99``現代 楷 enter image description here 「教」`
>
> *Shape evolution of the*「攵」*component, as shown in later forms in the character*「教」*. The character*「教」*depicts a child*「子」*learning arithmetic (represented by two*[「㐅」](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%90%85)*, original character of*「五」*) under threat of being beaten by*「攵」*. The two*「㐅」*and*「子」*later fused into*「孝」*; the original meaning is better preserved in the Kangxi variant*「敎」*. The second form above shows the shape similarity to*「攴」*; here, the beating implement changed slightly to the shape of*「卜」*(Zhengzhang OC: /\*poːɡ/) to provide a phonetic hint for*「攵」*(Zhengzhang OC: /\*pʰoːɡ/, /\*pʰroːɡ/).*
>
> Other examples of the use of「攵」include:
>
> * 「牧」, which depicts a cow「牛」being herded by a hand with a whip「攵」;
> * 「變」(*change*, Zhengzhang OC: **/\*prons/**), phonetic component「䜌」(Zhengzhang OC: **/\*b·roːn/**, **/\*b·ron/**, **/\*b·rons/**);
> * 「做」(*to make* or *do*), both semantic and phonetic component「作」corrupted into「估」;
> * 「改」(*change*, Zhengzhang OC: **/\*klɯːʔ/**), phonetic component「己」(Zhengzhang OC: **/\*kɯʔ/**);
> * 「攻」(*attack*), phonetic component「工」.

「夊」was originally「止」(*a foot*), but pointing in the other direction:

# `商 甲 enter image description here 前8.4.2 合集21837` `篆 enter image description here 說文解字``現代 楷 enter image description here`

Compare「止」:

# `商 甲 enter image description here 甲1532 合集27434`

Here's where things get tricky.

1. 「夊」did not originally represent a word; it was not an individual character (being found exclusively as part of other characters), nor appear to have any pronunciation, until the [Qin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_dynasty)-[Han](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_dynasty) era. The pronunciation recorded in dictionaries, **楚危切** (Mandarin **suī**), was a word meaning something like *slow strides*, variously represented as「綏」or「奞」. For all intents and purposes, as part of other characters, it is just a variant form of「止」.
2. The *shape of* (not the *word represented by*)「夂」is just a variant way of writing「夊」. Note that the stroke「㇏」is just for drawing the big toe and the outline of one side of the foot without the other toes.

   [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/gxCWm.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/gxCWm.png)

   The difference in the shapes is trivially just whether the stroke「㇏」protrudes or not, and both shapes are seen, for example in「各」:

   # `商 甲 enter image description here 前5.24.4 合集22001``商 甲 enter image description here 甲2589 合集27625`

   This indicates that「夂」and「夊」are just variant ways of writing *upside-down*「止」. There was no such rule saying that the stroke must protrude when the component is on the bottom of the character and must not protrude when it's on the top; this is a convention made up later, possibly out of confusion about what「夂」and「夊」actually are, or possibly for aesthetics.

   # `西周 金 enter image description here 作冊夨令簋 集成4300`

   *Despite their modern appearances, characters which contain*「夊」*on the bottom, such as*「後」*, have no requirement that the stroke must protrude.*
3. *Shuowen* confusingly lists a separate character with an identical shape to「夂」, and gave it a definition 从後至也 (*approaching from behind*) and pronunciation **陟侈切** (**zhǐ**). This definition was probably made-up, and is suggested to be a Simplified form of「致」(from where its definition and pronunciation was derived). For reference,「致」was originally comprised of「至」(both a semantic and phonetic component) and「人」(a semantic component); later on,「夊」was added and「人」was removed.

   # `西周 金 enter image description here 曶鼎 集成2838``秦 簡 enter image description here 睡ㆍ雜35` `篆 enter image description here 說文解字``現代 楷 enter image description here`

   It is surmised that scholars didn't know what「夂/夊」was doing in this character, having not known that「人」was omitted previously, so forced a *Shuowen* definition into existence in an attempt to explain its presence in「致」.
4. *Shuowen* also mentions「夂」in its entry for「冬」:

   > 四時盡也。从仌从夂。**夂，古文終字。**

   This corresponds to some dictionaries listing the pronunciation **zhōng**. This component has an entirely different history, originally depicting objects hanging off the end of a connector, indicating the meaning *end*.

   # `商 甲 enter image description here 存1183 合集11656`

   A line was later drawn across the character, bridging the two branches. To emphasise the meaning *winter*, sometimes「日」was added to emphasise *time* > *seasons*, and other times「仌/冫」was added to emphasise *cold* or *ice*:

   # `戰國 金 enter image description here 陳璋方壺 集成9703` `篆 enter image description here 說文解字`

   However, the crossing line made the shape prone to corruption into「夂/夊」, which leads on to the modern form.

   # `秦 簡 enter image description here 睡ㆍ秦94``現代 楷 enter image description here`

---

# References:

* 季旭昇《說文新證》
* [小學堂](http://xiaoxue.iis.sinica.edu.tw/)
* [國學大師](http://www.guoxuedashi.com/)


---

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-08-07. Score: 11

The difference between the two in writing should be clear from these drawings: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_35> and <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_34> and the stroke animations from <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A>
and <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82>

夂 is normally used at the top (for example 条條修脩务務夐) or the left (for example 处) of a character, and 夊 at the bottom (for example 愛夏复) or the right (for example 致, see <http://zhongwen.com/d/173/d80.htm>).

Originally both characters were quite different (see <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%8A>
and <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%A4%82>), but nowadays there are typically both written as 夂 by most people and most fonts don't make the distinction anymore.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: As I know, the 攵, also (informally) known as the 反文, is usually written as a right component, which is actually different from both 夂, the 折文, and 夊, as a bottom component.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-09-09. Score: 2

> Originally both characters were quite different (...), but nowadays there are typically both written as 夂 by most people and most fonts don't make the distinction anymore.

Indeed <https://xuehanyu.wikispaces.com/Radicals> mentions that "夊 (...) no modern characters; this radical is often omitted"

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: That website is referring to '夊' which is a slight variant of '夂'  

---

