乂

See also: 义, 父, ㄨ, 㐅, and Appendix:Variations of "x"

乂 U+4E42, 乂 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E42 ← 乁 [U+4E41] CJK Unified Ideographs 乃 → [U+4E43]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

乂 (Kangxi radical 4, 丿+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 大 (K) or 難大 (XK), four-corner 4000₀, composition ⿻丿㇏)

Derived characters

• 爻, 冈, 艾, 㲼, 刈, 䢃

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 81, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 111
• Dae Jaweon: page 165, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 31, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4E42

Chinese

simp. and trad.		乂

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乂
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j26552 Small seal script s09374 s10920 Transcribed ancient scripts L19486 L19487
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (乂) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
艾	*ŋaːds, *ŋads
鴱	*ŋaːds, *ŋads
餀	*hŋaːds
刈	*ŋads
乂	*ŋads

Pictogram (象形) — a tool similar to a knife (Li Xueqin, 2012), perhaps a sickle; see also 辛. In some other versions both on oracle bones and bronzes, it looks like a huge pair of scrissors used to cut weed. The original meaning of "mow, cut weed; sickle" is preserved in 刈. Unrelated to 爻.

Etymology

Sense "regulate, govern, orderly" is derived from "to mow, cut, reap"; this sense's origin is ambiguous, possibly from "to cut" > "to trim", etc. (Schuessler, 2007). If so, see 刈 (yì) for etymology.

Alternatively, from 禦／御 (yù) (ibid.)

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yì (yi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ngaai⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yì
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yì
    • Wade–Giles: i⁴
    • Yale: yì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yih
    • Palladius: и (i)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ngaai⁶
    • Yale: ngaaih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ngaai⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ngai⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋaːi̯²²/

---

• Middle Chinese: ngjojH

Rime
Character	乂
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	疑 (31)
Final (韻)	廢 (27)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	魚肺切
Baxter	ngjojH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ŋɨɐiH/
Pan Wuyun	/ŋiɐiH/
Shao Rongfen	/ŋiɐiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ŋɨajH/
Li Rong	/ŋiɐiH/
Wang Li	/ŋĭɐiH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ŋi̯ɐiH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ngai6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ŋa[t]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ŋads/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	乂	乂
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yì	yì
Middle Chinese	‹ ngjojH ›	‹ ngjojH ›
Old Chinese	/*ŋa[t]-s/	/*ŋa[t]-s/
English	mow, cut (v.)	mow; regulate
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	乂
Reading #	1/1
No.	14957
Phonetic component	乂
Rime group	祭
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	刈
Old Chinese	/*ŋads/

Definitions

乂

1. Original form of 刈 (yì, “to weed; to mow”).
2. to govern; to control; to manage; to regulate

   • 時則物有間之，自一話一言，我則末，維成德之彥，以乂我受民。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     时则物有间之，自一话一言，我则末，维成德之彦，以乂我受民。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE

     Shí zé wù yǒu jiān zhī, zì yīhuàyīyán, wǒ zé mò, wéi chéngdé zhī yàn, yǐ yì wǒ shòu mín. [Pinyin]

     Sometimes things will interfere. Then stick to your words and your speech, and let us be thinking of officers of complete virtues, and to regulate the people whom we have received.

3. to nurture

Compounds

• 乂安 (yì'ān)
• 俊乂
• 俾乂

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): ài (ai⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄞˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ngaai⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: ài
    • Zhuyin: ㄞˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ài
    • Wade–Giles: ai⁴
    • Yale: ài
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ay
    • Palladius: ай (aj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀaɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ngaai⁶
    • Yale: ngaaih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ngaai⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ngai⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋaːi̯²²/

Definitions

乂

1. to discipline; to punish

Japanese

Kanji

乂

(Hyōgai kanji)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Readings

• Go-on: げ (ge)
• Kan-on: がい (gai)
• Kun: かる (karu, 乂る)、おさめる (osameru, 乂める)^{←をさめる (wosameru, 乂める, historical)}、おさまる (osamaru, 乂まる)^{←をさまる (wosamaru, 乂まる, historical)}、やしなう (yashinau, 乂う)^{←やしなふ (yasinafu, 乂ふ, historical)}、さびい (sabii, 乂い)、こらす (korasu, 乂らす)

Korean

Etymology 1

Hanja

乂 (eumhun 벨 예 (bel ye))
乂 (eumhun 다스릴 예 (daseuril ye))

1. (obsolete) hanja form^? of 예 (“to weed; to mow”)
2. (obsolete) Alternative form of 刈 (“hanja form^? of 예 (“to weed; to mow”)”)
3. (obsolete) hanja form^? of 예 (“to govern; to control; to manage”)
4. (obsolete) Alternative form of 艾 (“hanja form^? of 예 (“to govern; to control; to manage”)”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

乂 (eumhun 징계할 애 (jinggyehal ae))

1. (obsolete) hanja form^? of 애 (“to discipline; to punish”)

References

• Naver Hanja Dictionary: 乂

Vietnamese

Han character

乂: Hán Nôm readings: nghệ, ngải

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Lê Sơn Thanh, "Nom-Viet.dat", WinVNKey (details)