了
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TranslingualEdit
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Han characterEdit
了 (Kangxi radical 6, 亅+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 弓弓 (NN), four-corner 17207, composition ⿱乛亅 or ⿱乛㇁)
Derived charactersEdit
- 𡤼, 𠆨, 𠖭, 𠮩, 𢆳, 𢩪, 𣱾, 𭨥, 𣎸, 𣬝, 辽, 𤽀, 𭾙, 䄦, 𪜜, 𥾇, 𬚊, 䑠, 𧘈, 𧺐, 𧾿, 𪞠, 釕(钌), 𫘵, 𩵌, 𩾒(𬷽), 𪌀, 𬼷, 𭣡, 𬻺, 𪟽, 㝋, 𭙏, 𦫼, 疗, 𥤣, 亨, 爳, 𬼶, 𠙶, 叾, 𬼹, 𠄏
ReferencesEdit
- KangXi: page 85, character 11
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 226
- Dae Jaweon: page 173, character 20
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 48, character 6
- Unihan data for U+4E86
ChineseEdit
| trad. | 了/瞭* | |
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| simp. | 了 | |
| 瞭 – sense “clear” | ||
Glyph originEdit
| Historical forms of the character 了 | ||||||||
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| Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | ||||||||
| Small seal script | ||||||||
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References:
Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
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Pictogram (象形) – a baby wrapped in a blanket, with only the head visible. Compare with 子, where the arms are visible.
This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.
Etymology 1Edit
From Proto-Sinitic *leʀ.
Verb “to finish; to be completed” > perfective aspect particle (了₁, weakened form) > change-of-state modal particle (了₂).
Two kinds of particle uses of 了 can be distinguished: the perfective aspect particle after verbs (conventionally written as 了₁) and the sentence-final modal particle (了₂). It is generally accepted (Wu, 1998) that these two uses of 了 are derived from the concrete verb “to finish”. The grammaticalisation of this verb had become common in the Tang Dynasty, initially in the form of ‹verb + (object) + perfective 了› to indicate the completion of an action.
The perfective particle subsequently underwent further grammaticalisation to become the sentence-final change-of-state modal particle; Liu (1985) has demonstrated that this last step may have involved the coalescence of sentence-final 了 with 也 in certain Mandarin dialects, as the pronunciations of 了₁ and 了₂ are distinct in these dialects, with 了₂ rhyming with 也.
This word is cognate with Thai แล้ว (lɛ́ɛo, “to be finished; already; then, afterwards”), Lao ແລ້ວ (lǣu, “to finish; to be completed; perfective particle”) (Schuessler, 2007).
Pronunciation 1Edit
DefinitionsEdit
了
- Used after a verb to indicate perfective aspect (action completion).
- Used at the end of a sentence to indicate a change of state.
- Used at the end of a sentence to inform the beginning of an action.
- (contemporary Shanghainese Wu) Used to indicate the present tense.
SynonymsEdit
Usage notesEdit
- (perfective aspect particle): Most of the time, 了 is translated by a past tense. But it can also indicate that one action is completed before another.
- (change of state particle): When used as the change of state particle, 了 can be translated by “now”, “already” or “not anymore”.
- In a question, 了 is put before the particle 嗎／吗 (ma).
- (Northern Wu): In Shanghainese, this term is primarily used to indicate the present tense and secondarily the perfective aspect. The present tense sense is derived from Old Shanghainese 哉. For the usage difference between other perfectives, see 脫了#Usage notes.
CompoundsEdit
Pronunciation 2Edit
DefinitionsEdit
了
- to be finished; to be completed
- to end; to finish
- to understand; to comprehend
- 了解 ― liǎojiě ― to understand; to realize
- clear; plain; understandable
- bright; intelligent; smart
- (in negative sentences) completely; utterly; entirely
- Used with 不 (bù) or 得 (de) after verbs to express possibility.
- (Hokkien) to use up; to lose; to waste; to squander
SynonymsEdit
| Variety | Location | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Classical Chinese | 靡 | |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 浪費, 靡費 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 糟蹋, 糟踐 |
| Taiwan | 浪費, 糟蹋 | |
| Harbin | 糟踐 | |
| Jinan | 糟蹋, 糟踐 | |
| Xi'an | 糟蹋 | |
| Wuhan | 糟蹋, 拋撒 | |
| Chengdu | 糟蹋, 拋撒 | |
| Yangzhou | 作蹋 | |
| Hefei | 糟蹋 | |
| Singapore | 浪費 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 嘥, 嘥撻 |
| Hong Kong | 嘥 | |
| Taishan | 嘥 | |
| Kaiping (Chikan) | 嘥 | |
| Dongguan | 嘥 | |
| Yangjiang | 嘥 | |
| Singapore (Guangfu) | 嘥 | |
| Gan | Nanchang | 糟蹋 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 浪撇 |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 打爽 | |
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 打爽, 浪核 | |
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 打爽 | |
| Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 打爽 | |
| Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 打爽 | |
| Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 打爽 | |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 糟蹋 |
| Min Bei | Jian'ou | 糟蹋 |
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 敗, 作蹋 |
| Min Nan | Xiamen | 拍損, 仄挩 |
| Quanzhou | 拍損, 仄挩 | |
| Zhangzhou | 拍損 | |
| Tainan | 拍損, 仄挩 | |
| Penang (Hokkien) | 損 | |
| Singapore (Hokkien) | 拍損, 了 | |
| Manila (Hokkien) | 仄挩, 了 | |
| Chaozhou | 噠浪 | |
| Jieyang | 噠浪 | |
| Singapore (Teochew) | 拍損 | |
| Wu | Suzhou | 糟蹋 |
| Wenzhou | 糟, 殘嘈 | |
| Xiang | Changsha | 糟蹋 |
| Shuangfeng | 糟蹋 | |
CompoundsEdit
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Etymology 2Edit
| For pronunciation and definitions of 了 – see 尞 (“ancient offering involving burning wood; etc.”). (This character, 了, is the second-round simplified form of 尞.) |
Notes:
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Etymology 3Edit
| For pronunciation and definitions of 了 – see 潦. (This character, 了, is the second-round simplified form of 潦.) |
Notes:
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JapaneseEdit
KanjiEdit
ReadingsEdit
- Go-on: りょう (ryō, Jōyō)←れう (reu, historical)
- Kan-on: りょう (ryō, Jōyō)←れう (reu, historical)
- Kun: おえる (oeru, 了える)←をへる (woferu, historical); おわる (owaru, 了わる)←をはる (wofaru, historical); しまう (shimau, 了う)←しまふ (simafu, historical); ついに (tsuini, 了に)←つひに (tufini, historical)
CompoundsEdit
NounEdit
Proper nounEdit
- a male given name
KoreanEdit
HanjaEdit
VietnameseEdit
Han characterEdit
了: Hán Việt readings: liễu (
了: Nôm readings: lểu[1][2][4][5], lẽo[1][2][3], liễu[1][2][5], lẻo[1][2], léo[1][4], líu[1][4], lếu[3][4], sáu[1], lèo[1], tréo[2]
- This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text
{{rfdef}}.