Character: 部
Modern (Beijing) reading: bù
Preclassic Old Chinese: bāʔ
Classic Old Chinese: bā́
Western Han Chinese: bā́
Eastern Han Chinese: bā́
Early Postclassic Chinese: bṓ
Middle Postclassic Chinese: bṓ
Late Postclassic Chinese: bṓ
Middle Chinese: bó
English meaning : part, department [Han]
Russian meaning[s]: 1) отдел, раздел; часть; разбивать на части (отделы); 2) возглавлять, руководить; подчиняться; подчиненные; подведомственные органы; части; 3) министерство; министерский
Comments: For *b cf. Xiamen po6, Chaozhou pou4, Fuzhou puo6, Jianou pu6. The character has also a reading pǒu, MC bʌ́w, OC *b(h)ǝ̄ʔ 'small hill', which, although also attested late, must be more archaic for this graph (the -ā- vocalism is not regular in this series).
Radical: 163
Four-angle index: 2138
Vietnamese reading: bộ
