【析形】形声字。甲骨文字形从众口,桑声;口以哭丧。金文字形桑旁下半讹变作“亡”,亡与丧音近义通。小篆字形再把桑旁的上半讹变作“犬”,与两口组成哭旁以表意。隶书字形变后上下两部分笔画相连,原形不显。今简化字作“丧”,以点代口旁。 【释义】《说文》“亡也。”本义是死亡。因为死亡和逃亡都是不见了,所以引申为逃亡。又引申为失去。[丧家之犬]指无家可归的狗,比喻失去倚仗,无处投奔的人。 【shape analysis】It is the pictophonetic character.In Oracle,it is related to口(kǒu,mouth)and sounds like the pronunciation of 桑(sāng).Mouth is used for crying for funeral.In Bronze Inscriptions,the lower part of 桑 was changed erroneously into 亡,which has the same pronunciation and similar meaning with 桑.In Small Seal script,the upper part of 桑 was changed into 犬, formed with the left two 口into 哭(kū,cry). 【original meaning】Death.