正
| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
| ||||||||
TranslingualEdit
| Stroke order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Stroke order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Alternative formsEdit
As a component of some complex characters, 正 is often written as 𤴓 with its last two strokes different. Compare 昰 and 是.
Han characterEdit
正 (Kangxi radical 77, 止+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 一卜中一 (MYLM), four-corner 10101, composition ⿱一止)
- Shuowen Jiezi radical №31
Usage notesEdit
- (tally marks, 5): The successive strokes of 正 (
) are used in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and other areas where Chinese characters are prominent to designate tallies in votes, scores, points, sushi orders, and the like, much as 
is used in Africa, the Americas, Australia, and Europe. Tallies beyond five are written with a 正 for each group of five, followed by the remainder. For example, a tally of twelve 
is written as 正正丅.
Derived charactersEdit
ReferencesEdit
- KangXi: page 574, character 2
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 16255
- Dae Jaweon: page 962, character 2
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1436, character 1
- Unihan data for U+6B63
ChineseEdit
| simp. and trad. |
正 | |
|---|---|---|
| alternative forms | ||
Glyph originEdit
| Historical forms of the character 正 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shang | Western Zhou | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
|
|
|
|
Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *tjeŋ, *tjeŋs): phonetic 丁 (OC *rteːŋ, *teːŋ) + semantic 止 (“foot”) – to go on a long journey. Original form of 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go on long campaign”).
EtymologyEdit
Sino-Tibetan or area word: “centre; target; first (month); straight; correct”.
Compare Mizo dîng (“to go straight or direct (as person, arrow etc.); to go straight through without breaking the journey; straight; direct”). Matisoff sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-tjak/ŋ ~ tik/ŋ (“good; very; real; straight”) for this, which includes 正, 直 (OC *dɯɡ, “straight; right”) and 實 (OC *ɦliɡ, “solid; true”).
Additionally, Matisoff has Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t(r)waŋ (“straight; straighten”), whence Chepang धेङ्सा (dʰeŋ-, “straight”), Jingpho ding (“straight”), Tibetan དྲང་པོ (drang po, “straight; correct; upright; just; fair”), Burmese တန်း (tan:, “straight; to head straight for”). Also compare Khmer ទៀង (tiəng, “accurate; correct; exact; precise; honest”).
Derivatives:
- 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go straight > to go on a journey”)
- 政 (OC *tjeŋs, “correct; to govern; government; to determine”)
- 整 (OC *tjeŋʔ, “orderly; to arrange; to dispose”)
Pronunciation 2 for the month's name results from the historical avoidance of the taboo on its homophone 政 (OC *tjeŋs), which was the given name of Qin Shi Huang ([1]).
Pronunciation 1Edit
DefinitionsEdit
正
- straight; upright in proper position; middle
- right; proper; correct; upright
- obverse; right
- regular; standard
- precisely; directly; perfectly
- primary; chief; main; full
- pure; unmixed; authentic; true
- pretty; attractive; beautiful
- (Cantonese) awesome; fantastic
- just now; right now; in the process of
- just; exactly; precisely
- to straighten; to make straight
- 君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻視，儼然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, circa 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Jūnzǐ zhèng qí yīguān, zūn qí zhānshì, yǎnrán rén wàng ér wèi zhī, sī bù yì wēi ér bù měng hū? [Pinyin]
- He adjusts his clothes and cap, and throws a dignity into his looks, so that, thus dignified, he is looked at with awe - is not this to be majestic without being fierce?
君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻视，俨然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- to make right; to rectify; to correct
- 正音 ― zhèngyīn ― to correct one's pronunciation
- (numeral) ten duodecillion(1040)
- (mathematics) regular
- (mathematics) positive; plus
- (physics) positive
- (time) sharp; on the dot
- (Hakka, Teochew) only; merely
- (Hakka, Teochew) just; just now
- (Hakka, Teochew) only then; only after
- (Hakka, Teochew) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
- (Min Nan) right (direction)
- a surname.
- (tally marks) five (successive strokes of 正 are added in writing sequence to tally a count of five per character)
SynonymsEdit
AntonymsEdit
- (right): (Min Nan) 倒 (tò, “left”)
CompoundsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Chinese pronunciation 1.
See alsoEdit
| Chinese numerals | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | 108 | 1012 | 1016 | 1020 | 1024 | 1028 | 1032 | 1036 | 1040 | 1044 | 1048 | |
| 萬／万 (wàn) | 億／亿 (yì) | 兆 (zhào) (Taiwan) | 京 (jīng) (Taiwan) | 垓 (gāi) | 秭 (zǐ) | 穰 (ráng) | 溝／沟 (gōu) | 澗／涧 (jiàn) | 正 (zhèng) | 載／载 (zài) | 極／极 (jí) | |
| 萬億／万亿 (wànyì) (Mainland China) |
億億/亿亿 (Mainland China) | |||||||||||
Pronunciation 2Edit
DefinitionsEdit
正
- first (month of the lunar year)
- 新正 ― xīnzhēng ― first month of the lunar new year
- † bull's eye; centre of target
- † target; goal
- † Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to levy”).
- † Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to go on a punitive expedition”).
CompoundsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Chinese pronunciation 2.
DescendantsEdit
Others:
- Lao: ຈຽງ (chīang, “first month of the lunar year”)
- Lü: ᦵᦈᧂ (ṫseng, “first month in Dai lunar calendar, starting in November”)
- Northern Thai: ᨠ᩠ᨿᨦ (“first month of the lunar year”)
- Shan: ၸဵင် (tsǎeng, “first month of the Shan year, starting December-January”)
- Ahom: 𑜋𑜢𑜂𑜫 (chiṅ, “first month of the lunar year”)
- Vietnamese: giêng (“first month of the Vietnamese lunar year, starting January-February”)
JapaneseEdit
KanjiEdit
ReadingsEdit
- Go-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)←しやう (syau, historical)
- Kan-on: せい (sei, Jōyō)
- Kun: ただしい (tadashii, 正しい, Jōyō); ただす (tadasu, 正す, Jōyō); まさ (masa, 正, Jōyō); まさに (masani, 正に)
- Nanori: おお (ō); くに (kuni); ま (ma); まさし (masashi); ただし (tadashi)
CompoundsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Japanese.
Derived termsEdit
Etymology 1Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 正 |
| せい Grade: 1 |
| kan’on |
NounEdit
PronounEdit
- 生: (humble) I or me, the first person singular (used by males)
NumeralEdit
- A number of ten-duodecillion(1040) in modern Japanese since 17th century.
- 5, as tally marks. Similar to four vertical lines followed by a slanted horizontal line crossing through them, this character is used to count to 5 stroke by stroke. Thus this kanji written up to the third stroke represents 3. After the fifth and final stroke, when this character is completed, one starts writing this character again to count to higher numbers.
Etymology 2Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 正 |
| しょう Grade: 1 |
| goon |
PrefixEdit
AdjectiveEdit
正 • (shō) -na (adnominal 正な (shō na), adverbial 正に (shō ni))
NumeralEdit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 正 |
| しょう Grade: 1 |
| on’yomi |
- ten-duodecillion(1040)
Etymology 3Edit
Proper nounEdit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 正 |
| ただし Grade: 1 |
| nanori |
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 正 |
| まさし Grade: 1 |
| nanori |
- A male given name
KoreanEdit
Etymology 1Edit
From Middle Chinese 正 (MC t͡ɕiᴇŋH).
| Historical readings |
|---|
|
PronunciationEdit
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [t͡ɕɘ(ː)ŋ]
- Phonetic hangul: [정(ː)]
- Though still prescriptive in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
HanjaEdit
正 (eumhun 바를 정 (bareul jeong))
CompoundsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Korean etymology 1.
Etymology 2Edit
From Middle Chinese 正 (MC t͡ɕiᴇŋ).
| Historical readings |
|---|
|
PronunciationEdit
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [t͡ɕʌ̹ŋ]
- Phonetic hangul: [정]
HanjaEdit
正 (eumhun 정월(正月) 정 (jeong'wol jeong))
CompoundsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Korean etymology 2.
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
正: Hán Việt readings: chinh (
正: Nôm readings: chánh[3][4][1][2][5], chênh[1], chính[3][4][1][2][6], chếnh[1][7][2][5][6], chiếng[3], chỉnh[1], giêng[1]
- chữ Hán form of chánh (“chief; head”).
- chữ Hán form of chính (“main; major, chief; just, righteous”).
- Nôm form of chếnh.
Derived termsEdit
See 正/derived terms § Vietnamese.