十字

Chinese

		ten	letter; symbol; character letter; symbol; character; word
simp. and trad. (十字)		十	字

Etymology

From a cross's graphical resemblance to the character 十 (shí, “ten”). Already used by the Liang dynasty for the "cross-shaped" sense.

Christian cross

Attested as early as 781 CE on the Xi'an Stele.

判十字以㝎四方，皷元風而生二氣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

判十字以㝎四方，皷元风而生二气。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 大秦景教流行中國碑頌

Pàn shízì yǐ 㝎 sìfāng, 皷 yuán fēng ér shēng èr qì. [Pinyin]

He appointed the cross as the means for determining the four cardinal points, he moved the original spirit, and produced the two principles of nature.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shízì

(Zhuyin): ㄕˊ ㄗˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): sap⁶ zi⁶
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): si̍p-lī / si̍p-jī

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shízì
  - Zhuyin: ㄕˊ ㄗˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shíhzìh
  - Wade–Giles: shih²-tzŭ⁴
  - Yale: shŕ-dz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyrtzyh
  - Palladius: шицзы (šiczy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩³⁵ t͡sz̩⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    十字
    識字／识字
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sap⁶ zi⁶
  - Yale: sahp jih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sap⁹ dzi⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: seb⁶ ji⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐp̚² t͡siː²²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si̍p-lī
  - Tâi-lô: si̍p-lī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sibli
  - IPA (Taipei): /sip̚⁴⁻³² li³³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sip̚²⁴⁻² li⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /sip̚⁴⁻³² li²²/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si̍p-jī
  - Tâi-lô: si̍p-jī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sibji
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /sip̚⁴⁻³² zi³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /sip̚¹²¹⁻²¹ d͡zi²²/

Noun

十字

cross; crucifix
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 十 (shí),‎ 字 (zì).

Derived terms

Adjective

十字

(attributive) cross-shaped
- 君不見西陵田，從橫十字成陌阡。 [MSC, trad.]
  君不见西陵田，从横十字成陌阡。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: s:zh:樂府詩集/070卷#同前四首（梁•吳均）
  Jūn bùjiàn xīlíng tián, cónghéng shízì chéng mòqiān. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

十字架 (shízìjià)
十字溝／十字沟 (Shízìgōu)
十字繡／十字绣 (shízìxiù)
十字聖號／十字圣号 (shízì shènghào)
十字花押
十字花科 (shízìhuākē)
十字螺絲刀／十字螺丝刀 (shízì luósīdāo)
十字螺絲批／十字螺丝批
十字街 (shízìjiē)
十字街頭／十字街头
十字褡 (shízìdā)
十字路 (shízìlù)
十字路口 (shízìlùkǒu)
十字鎬／十字镐 (shízìgǎo)
十字韌帶／十字韧带 (shízìrèndài)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (十字):

→ Japanese: 十(じゅう)字(じ) (jūji)
→ Korean: 십자(十字) (sipja)
→ Vietnamese: thập tự (十字)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
十	字
じゅう Grade: 1	じ Grade: 1
on'yomi

Etymology

Compound of 十 (jū, “ten”) + 字 (ji, “letter, character”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) じゅうじ [júꜜùjì] (Atamadaka – [1])
(Tokyo) じゅうじ [jùújí] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [d͡ʑɨːʑi]

Noun

十(じゅう)字(じ) • (jūji) ^{←じふじ (zifuzi)^?}

ten characters
cross (shape)
Synonym: 十文字 (jūmonji)
- 1903, 泉鏡花, 二世の契‎^[1], 青空文庫:
  
  唯(ただ)、彼(あ)のこはれ／″＼の停車場(ステエシヨン)のあとへ来(き)た時(とき)、雨露(あめつゆ)に曝(さら)された十字(じふじ)の里程標(りていへう)が、枯草(かれくさ)の中(なか)に、横(よこ)になつて居(ゐ)るのを見(み)て、何(なん)となく荒野(あれの)の中(なか)の磔柱(はりつけばしら)ででもあるやうに思(おも)つた。
  Tada, ano kowaregoware no sutēshon no ato e kita toki, ametsuyu ni sarasareta jūji no riteihyō ga, karekusa no naka ni, yoko ni natte iru no o mite, nan to naku areno no naka no haritsukebashira de de mo aru yō ni omotta.
  But when I came to the ruins of that dilapidated station, I saw a weather-beaten, cross-shaped milepost lying on its side on withered grass, and somehow it seemed like a crucifixion cross in the wilderness.
(Christianity) sign of the cross
十字(じゅうじ)を切(き)る
jūji o kiru
to cross oneself
Short for 十字架 (jūjika).

Derived terms

Korean

Hanja in this term
十	字

Noun

十字 • (sipja) (hangeul 십자)

hanja form^? of 십자 (“cross”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
十	字

Noun

十字

chữ Hán form of thập tự (“cross”).