U+4E8C, 二
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E8C

[U+4E8B]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+4E8D]
U+2F06, ⼆
KANGXI RADICAL TWO

[U+2F05]
Kangxi Radicals
[U+2F07]
U+3221, ㈡
PARENTHESIZED IDEOGRAPH TWO

[U+3220]
Enclosed CJK Letters and Months
[U+3222]
U+3281, ㊁
CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH TWO

[U+3280]
Enclosed CJK Letters and Months
[U+3282]
Commons:Category
Commons:Category
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TranslingualEdit

Stroke order
 
Stroke order
 

Han characterEdit

(Kangxi radical 7, +0, 2 strokes, cangjie input 一一 (MM), four-corner 10100, composition一)

  1. Kangxi radical #7, .
  2. Shuowen Jiezi radical №479

Derived charactersEdit

Further readingEdit

Chinese Wikisource has digitized text of the Kangxi Dictionary entry for :

Wikisource


  • KangXi: page 86, character 1
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 247
  • Dae Jaweon: page 175, character 6
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 2, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+4E8C

ChineseEdit

simp. and trad.
alternative forms financial

𠄠

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character
Shang Western Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming) Libian (compiled in Qing)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Qin slip script Ancient script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts Clerical script
                   





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).

Ideogram (指事) - two parallel strokes. Compare with , one stroke meaning one, , three strokes meaning three, and , four strokes meaning four. Duplication of (“one”).

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g/s-ni-s. Cognate to Tibetan གཉིས (gnyis), Sikkimese ཉི (nyi), Tangut 𗍫 (*njɨ̱¹), Burmese နှစ် (hnac), and Sichuan Yi (nyip). See also: (OC *sn̥ʰis, “second; next”), a cognate within Chinese languages.

PronunciationEdit


Note: no6 - semantic (substitute for ).
Note:
  • 3nyi - colloquial;
  • 3hher - literary;
  • 3lian - alternative, from , younger speakers only.
  • Xiang

  • Rime
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial () (38)
    Final () (15)
    Tone (調) Departing (H)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division () III
    Fanqie
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang
    /ȵiɪH/
    Pan
    Wuyun
    /ȵiH/
    Shao
    Rongfen
    /ȵʑjɪH/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank
    /ȵiH/
    Li
    Rong
    /ȵiH/
    Wang
    Li
    /ȵʑiH/
    Bernard
    Karlgren
    /ȵʑiH/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex
    èr
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex
    ji6
    BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)
    èr
    Middle
    Chinese
    ‹ nyijH ›
    Old
    Chinese
    /*ni[j]-s/
    English two

    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
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 2824
    Phonetic
    component
    Rime
    group
    Rime
    subdivision
    2
    Corresponding
    MC rime
    Old
    Chinese
    /*njis/

    DefinitionsEdit

    1. two
      线  ―  èr hào xiàn  ―  line no. 2
    2. second
        ―  èr  ―  second elder brother
    3. secondary, vice-
    4. again, once more
    5. two-fold, double
    6. fold, times
    7. different; other, else
        ―  èr  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)
        ―  èrxīn  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)
    8. (handwritten, dated, now informal) An iteration mark denoting the repetition of the previous hanzi; often written at a smaller size when used for this purpose.
      Synonyms: ,
    9. Short for "twenty, two hundred or two thousand" after hundreds, thousands and ten thousands.
      Such a definition of a number results from a number's being used without a unit after a quantity with both a value (exists even if hidden) and a unit to indicate the quantity with the value being the number and the unit one grade lower. So does the next definition.
      [Cantonese]  ―  baak3 ji6 [Jyutping]  ―  one hundred twenty
      [Hokkien]  ―  pah [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  one hundred twenty
      電腦 [MSC, trad.]
      电脑 [MSC, simp.]
      Mǎi diànnǎo huā le yī qiān èr. [Pinyin]
      Buying the computer cost me a thousand and two hundred bucks.
    10. Short for "twenty cents".
      黃瓜黄瓜  ―  Huángguā yī kuài èr yī jīn.  ―  The cucumbers are one dollar twenty per half kilogram.
    11. (dialectal Mandarin) stupid, dumb; silly, thick, lacking mental agility (often in a cute way)
      怎麼這麼 [MSC, trad.]
      怎么这么 [MSC, simp.]
      Nǐ zhè rén zěnme zhème èr! [Pinyin]
      Why are you so incorrigibly stupid!
    12. (Hong Kong Cantonese, school slang) to obtain a level two in a subject in DSE (exam) (usually implies failing the subject)
      中文唔到U [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]
      ngo5 zung1 man4-2 ji6 zo2, jap6 m4 dou3 ju1. [Jyutping]
      I got a level two in Chinese, can't get into university.
    13. (Classical Chinese) Alternative form of (èr); usually limited to the simplified script
        ―  bù'èrguò  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)

    Usage notesEdit

    See 兩 - Usage notes.

    SynonymsEdit

    • (used in counting) (liǎng)

    See alsoEdit

    Chinese numbers
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 102 103 104 108 1012
    Normal
    (小寫小写)
    ,
    十千 (Malaysia, Singapore)
    亿 (Taiwan)
    萬億万亿 (Mainland China)
    Financial
    (大寫大写)
    Playing cards in Chinese · 撲克牌扑克牌 (pūkèpái) (layout · text)
                 
    尖兒尖儿尖儿尖儿 (èr) () () ()
                 
    () (jiǔ) (shí) 鉤兒钩儿钩儿钩儿 圈兒圈儿圈儿圈儿, 皮蛋 (pídàn, regional) K 小王 (xiǎowáng, black), 大王 (red), 小鬼 (xiǎoguǐ, black), 大鬼 (dàguǐ, red)

    CompoundsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    Sino-Xenic ():
    • Japanese: () (ni)
    • Korean: 이(二) (i)
    • Vietnamese: nhị ()

    Others:

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Alternative formsEdit

    • (financial or formal)

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    Derived termsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    Kanji in this term

    Grade: 1
    on’yomi

    From Middle Chinese (ȵiɪH, two). Compare modern Min Dong reading .

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    () (ni

    1. two, 2
    2. second
      ()()()(もの)一兎(いっと)をも()
      nito o ou mono wa itto o mo ezu
      focus on one thing at a time (literally, “one who chases two rabbits catches neither one”)
      ()(あし)()
      ni no ashi o fumu
      hesitate; think twice (literally, “step on two feet”)
      ()(かい)から()(ぐすり)
      nikai kara megusuri
      trying to do an impossible task (literally, “(taking) eye medicine from the second floor”)

    NumeralEdit

    Japanese cardinal numbers
     <  1 2 3  > 
        Cardinal :

    () (ni

    1. two, 2

    Etymology 2Edit

    Kanji in this term
    ふた
    Grade: 1
    kun’yomi

    Originally /huta/: *[puta] > [ɸuta]. The ablaut form of (hito2, one), which it doubles.

    NounEdit

    (ふた) (futa

    1. two
    Coordinate termsEdit
    Japanese numbers
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    Regular (れい) (rei)
    (ゼロ) (zero)
    (いち) (ichi) () (ni) (さん) (san) (よん) (yon)
    () (shi)
    () (go) (ろく) (roku) (なな) (nana)
    (しち) (shichi)
    (はち) (hachi) (きゅう) (kyū)
    () (ku)
    (じゅう) ()
    Formal (いち) (ichi) () (ni) (さん) (san) (じゅう) ()
    90 100 300 600 800 1,000 3,000 8,000 10,000 100,000,000
    Regular (きゅう)(じゅう) (kyūjū) (ひゃく) (hyaku)
    (いっ)(ぴゃく) (ippyaku)
    (さん)(びゃく) (sanbyaku) (ろっ)(ぴゃく) (roppyaku) (はっ)(ぴゃく) (happyaku) (せん) (sen)
    (いっ)(せん) (issen)
    (さん)(ぜん) (sanzen) (はっ)(せん) (hassen) (いち)(まん) (ichiman) (いち)(おく) (ichioku)
    Formal (いち)(まん) (ichiman)
    1012 8×1012 1013 1016 6×1016 8×1016 1017 1018
    (いっ)(ちょう) (itchō) (はっ)(ちょう) (hatchō) (じゅっ)(ちょう) (jutchō) (いっ)(けい) (ikkei) (ろっ)(けい) (rokkei) (はっ)(けい) (hakkei) (じゅっ)(けい) (jukkei) (ひゃっ)(けい) (hyakkei)

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ^ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    2. ^ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

    KoreanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Korean numbers (edit)
    20
     ←  1 2 3  → 
        Native isol.: (dul)
        Native attr.: (du)
        Sino-Korean: (i)
        Hanja:
        Ordinal: 둘째 (duljjae)

    From Middle Chinese (MC ȵiɪH).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 ᅀᅵᆼ〮 (Yale: )
    Middle Korean
    Text Eumhun
    Gloss (hun) Reading
    Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[1] 두〯 (Yale: twǔ) ᅀᅵ〯 (Yale: )
    Gwangju Cheonjamun, 1575 (Yale: twu) (Yale: i)

    PronunciationEdit

    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [i(ː)]
    • Phonetic hangul: [(ː)]
      • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

    HanjaEdit

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    , eumhun (du i)

    1. Hanja form? of (two).

    CompoundsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [2]

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

    : Hán Việt readings: nhị[1][2][3]
    : Nôm readings: nhì[1][2][3], nhị[2][3][4], nhẹ[1]

    1. chữ Hán form of nhị (two).
    2. Nôm form of nhì (two).

    Derived termsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    ZhuangEdit

    NumeralEdit

    1. Sawndip form of ngeih