See also: 便
使 U+4F7F, 使
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4F7F

[U+4F7E]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+4F80]

TranslingualEdit

Stroke order
 

Han characterEdit

使 (Kangxi radical 9, +6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 人十中大 (OJLK), four-corner 25206, composition )

Derived charactersEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • KangXi: page 101, character 5
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 573
  • Dae Jaweon: page 213, character 12
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 145, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+4F7F

ChineseEdit

simp. and trad.
使
alternative forms (sai2; Cantonese “need”)
(sai2; Cantonese “need”)

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 使





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).

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *srɯʔ, *srɯs): semantic + phonetic (OC *rɯs).

Pronunciation 1Edit


Note:
  • sai2 - vernacular;
  • si2 - literary.
  • Hakka
  • Jin
  • Min Dong
  • Note:
    • sāi - vernacular;
    • sṳ̄ - literary.
  • Min Nan
  • Note:
    • sái - vernacular (including Quanzhou “to fuck”);
    • sú/sír - literary.
  • Wu

  • Rime
    Character 使
    Reading # 1/2
    Initial () (21)
    Final () (19)
    Tone (調) Rising (X)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division () III
    Fanqie
    Baxter sriX
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang
    /ʃɨX/
    Pan
    Wuyun
    /ʃɨX/
    Shao
    Rongfen
    /ʃieX/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank
    /ʂɨX/
    Li
    Rong
    /ʃiəX/
    Wang
    Li
    /ʃĭəX/
    Bernard
    Karlgren
    /ʂiX/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex
    shǐ
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex
    si2
    BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 使
    Reading # 1/2
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)
    shǐ
    Middle
    Chinese
    ‹ sriX ›
    Old
    Chinese
    /*s-rəʔ/
    English send; cause

    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 使
    Reading # 1/2
    No. 11488
    Phonetic
    component
    Rime
    group
    Rime
    subdivision
    0
    Corresponding
    MC rime
    Old
    Chinese
    /*srɯʔ/

    DefinitionsEdit

    使

    1. to order (somebody to do something); to send (somebody)
    2. (literary) to put (people) to work
    3. to let; to make; to cause to
      突如其來消息使大為震驚 [MSC, trad.]
      突如其来消息使大为震惊 [MSC, simp.]
      Zhè tūrúqílái de xiāoxī shǐ tā dàwéi zhènjīng. [Pinyin]
      This sudden news caused him great shock.
    4. to use; to employ
      使 [Cantonese, trad.]
      使 [Cantonese, simp.]
      ne1 baa2 dou1 gei2 hou2 sai2 [Jyutping]
      This knife is pretty good to use.
    5. to play; to play with; to resort to; to dally with
      使心眼  ―  shǐ xīnyǎn  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)
    6. to indulge
      使性子  ―  shǐ xìngzi  ―  to get angry; to lose one's temper
    7. (literary) if
    8. (Cantonese, always negated or interrogative) need to [do something]; have to
      使 [Cantonese, trad.]
      使𫽋 [Cantonese, simp.]
      nei5 m4 sai2 lo2 gam3 do1! [Jyutping]
      You don't need to get so much!
      陣間使使落街 [Cantonese, trad.]
      阵间使使落街 [Cantonese, simp.]
      nei5 zan6 gaan1 sai2 m4 sai2 lok6 gaai1 maai5 je5 aa3? [Jyutping]
      Do you need to use head out to buy things later?
      使使 [Cantonese]  ―  zung6 sai2 gong2 ge2? [Jyutping]  ―  Surely it goes without saying.
    9. (Cantonese, always negated or interrogative) need [something]; require; want strongly
    10. (Quanzhou Min Nan, vulgar) to fuck
    SynonymsEdit
    • (to let; to make; to cause to): (lìng), (ràng)
    • (to dispatch): (sòng)
    • (to use):
    • (if):
    • (Cantonese) (need): 需要 (xūyào)
    • (to fuck):

    Pronunciation 2Edit


    Note:
    • sái - vernacular;
    • sé̤ṳ - literary.
  • Min Nan
  • Note:
    • sài - vernacular;
    • sù/sìr - literary.
  • Wu

  • Rime
    Character 使
    Reading # 2/2
    Initial () (21)
    Final () (19)
    Tone (調) Departing (H)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division () III
    Fanqie
    Baxter sriH
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang
    /ʃɨH/
    Pan
    Wuyun
    /ʃɨH/
    Shao
    Rongfen
    /ʃieH/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank
    /ʂɨH/
    Li
    Rong
    /ʃiəH/
    Wang
    Li
    /ʃĭəH/
    Bernard
    Karlgren
    /ʂiH/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex
    shì
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex
    si3
    BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 使
    Reading # 2/2
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)
    shǐ
    Middle
    Chinese
    ‹ sriH ›
    Old
    Chinese
    /*s-rəʔ-s/
    English envoy

    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 使
    Reading # 2/2
    No. 11491
    Phonetic
    component
    Rime
    group
    Rime
    subdivision
    0
    Corresponding
    MC rime
    𩢲
    Old
    Chinese
    /*srɯs/

    DefinitionsEdit

    使

    1. to be sent as an envoy
    2. envoy; messenger
      使使  ―  láishǐ  ―  envoy from another country

    CompoundsEdit

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    使

    (grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    NounEdit

    使() (shi

    1. messenger

    KoreanEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    “to use; in order to; etc.”

    From Middle Chinese 使 (MC ʃɨX).

    Historical readings
    “envoy; messenger”

    From Middle Chinese 使 (MC ʃɨH).

    Historical readings

    PronunciationEdit

    • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰa̠(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

    使 (eumhun 부릴 (buril sa))

    1. Hanja form? of (to use; to employ).
    2. Hanja form? of (in order to do).
    3. Hanja form? of (envoy; messenger).

    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. [1]

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

    使: Hán Nôm readings: sứ, sử, sửa, thửa

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

    CompoundsEdit

    ReferencesEdit