Wiktionary

然

然 U+7136, 然
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7136
← 焵
[U+7135] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 焷 →
[U+7137]

Translingual Edit

Stroke order
 
Stroke order
 

Han character Edit

然 (Kangxi radical 86, 火+8, 12 strokes, cangjie input 月大火 (BKF), four-corner 23333, composition ⿱⿰𱼀犬灬)

Derived characters Edit

References Edit

  • KangXi: page 675, character 12
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19149
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1086, character 20
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2213, character 5
  • Unihan data for U+7136

Chinese Edit

trad. 然
simp. # 然
2nd round simp. ⿱犬一
alternative forms 𤉷
𤟙
嘫
㸐／𬊾
𤓉

Glyph origin Edit

Historical forms of the character 然
Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
     
Characters in the same phonetic series (肰) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
嘫 *rneːn
然 *njen
肰 *njen
繎 *njon, *njen
燃 *njen
蹨 *njenʔ, *neːnʔ
橪 *njenʔ, *ʔneːn
撚 *neːnʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *njen): phonetic 肰 (OC *njen, “dog meat”) + semantic 火 (“fire”) – to burn. Also ideogrammic compound (會意). The derivative 燃 (OC *njen) stands for the original word in Modern Chinese.

Note that the upper left component is analyzed as 肉 (meat), and in the component 肰 it is drawn as a tilted 月 (“moon”), appearing more like 夕 (“evening”) with an extra stroke; compare 祭, 將.

Etymology Edit

A fusion of 如 (OC *nja, *njas) with an element *-n which has a demonstrative meaning (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation Edit

Note:
  • riêng5 - Chaozhou;
  • riang5 - Shantou, Jieyang, Chenghai, Chaoyang.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Dialectal data
    Variety Location 然
    Mandarin Beijing /ʐan³⁵/
    Harbin /ʐan²⁴/
    Tianjin /ian⁴⁵/
    /ʐan⁴⁵/
    Jinan /ʐã⁴²/
    Qingdao /iã⁴²/
    Zhengzhou /ʐan⁵³/
    /ʐan⁴²/ ～而
    Xi'an /ʐã²⁴/
    Xining /ʐã²⁴/
    Yinchuan /ʐan⁵³/
    Lanzhou /ʐɛ̃n⁵³/
    Ürümqi /ʐan⁵¹/
    Wuhan /nan²¹³/
    Chengdu /zan³¹/
    Guiyang /zan²¹/
    Kunming /ʐã̠³¹/
    Nanjing /ʐaŋ²⁴/
    Hefei /ʐæ̃⁵⁵/
    /ʐən⁵⁵/
    Jin Taiyuan /zæ̃¹¹/
    Pingyao /ʐɑŋ¹³/
    Hohhot /ʐæ̃⁵³/
    Wu Shanghai /zø²³/
    Suzhou /zø¹³/
    Hangzhou /zz̩ʷõ²¹³/
    Wenzhou /ji³¹/
    Hui Shexian /ie⁴⁴/
    Tunxi /iɛ⁴⁴/
    Xiang Changsha /yẽ¹³/
    Xiangtan /iẽ¹²/
    Gan Nanchang /lɛn⁴⁵/
    Hakka Meixian /ian¹¹/
    Taoyuan /ʒen¹¹/
    Cantonese Guangzhou /jin²¹/
    Nanning /jin²¹/
    Hong Kong /jɐn²¹/
    Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /lian³⁵/
    Fuzhou (Min Dong) /yoŋ⁵³/
    Jian'ou (Min Bei) /iŋ²¹/
    Shantou (Min Nan) /ziaŋ⁵⁵/
    Haikou (Min Nan) /zin³¹/
    Rime
    Character 然
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 日 (38)
    Final (韻) 仙 (77)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) III
    Fanqie 如延切
    Baxter nyen
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/ȵiᴇn/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/ȵiɛn/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/ȵʑjæn/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/ȵian/
    Li
    Rong         		/ȵiɛn/
    Wang
    Li         		/ȵʑĭɛn/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/ȵʑi̯ɛn/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		rán
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		jin4
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 然
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		rán
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ nyen ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[n]a[n]/
    English so, thus; (adv suffix)

    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 然
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 10756
    Phonetic
    component         		肰
    Rime
    group         		元
    Rime
    subdivision         		2
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		然
    Old
    Chinese         		/*njen/

    Definitions Edit

    然

    1. † Original form of 燃 (rán, “to burn”).
    2. † a demonstrative that refers to a previous verbal clause
      Near-synonym: 是 (shì)
      1. † so; thus; in this manner; like this
        然後／然后  ―  ránhòu  ―  then (literally, “after things turn out this way”)
        不然  ―  bùrán  ―  or else, otherwise (literally, “not so”)
        非然也。 [Classical Chinese]  ―  Fēi rán yě. [Pinyin]  ―  It is not so. / That is not how it is.
      2. † Suffix forming adverbs, sometimes also adjectives, with an abstract meaning of “in the manner of, like”.
        顯然／显然  ―  xiǎnrán  ―  apparently, obviously
        果然  ―  guǒrán  ―  as expected (literally, “as a result”)
        龐然大物／庞然大物  ―  pángrándàwù  ―  giant, something enormous (literally, “a bigly big thing”)
        喟然長嘆／喟然长叹  ―  kuìránchángtàn  ―  to sigh (with 喟 being an onomatopoeia)
    3. † metaphors extracted from fossilizations of sense 2
      1. † but
        然而  ―  rán'ér  ―  but (literally, “(having said) that, and/but”)
      2. † correct; right
        不以為然／不以为然  ―  bùyǐwèirán  ―  to not regard as correct (literally, “not regarding (reality) as (being) that”); to object
      3. † to regard as correct; to agree
    4. (Teochew) to resemble; to be like

    Usage notes Edit

    This word is fossilized and cannot be used to form new expressions in Modern Chinese. In earlier Chinese, it could freely refer to any verb clause.

    1910, Sun Tzu, chapter XI, in Lionel Giles, transl., 孫子兵法 = Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: […], London: Luzac & Co., →OCLC, page 92:
    29. 故善用兵譬如率然率然
    (literally, “So [the] good user [of] troops resembles like quickly [...] quickly [doing] that, i.e. using troops”)
    1910, Sun Tzu, chapter XI, in Lionel Giles, transl., 孫子兵法 = Sun Tzŭ on the Art of War: […], London: Luzac & Co., →OCLC, page 143:
    58. 投之亡地然後存陷之死地然後生
    Alternatively punctuated 投之亡地。然後存。陷之死地。然後生
    (literally, “Throw them (the troops) [into] death land. After doing that [they will] survive. Sink them (the troops) [into] death land. After doing that [they will] live”)

    With the alternative punctuation, the quote commands the reader to actually try this, which is somewhat reasonable. However in Classical Chinese, all pronouns, including this, can also used be topicalizers to merely continue the last clause but linguistically unfocus it instead of starting a new sentence. The topicalization interpretation is equal to the following:

    *投之亡地後存。陷之死地後生

    Synonyms Edit

    Dialectal synonyms of 像 (“to be like; to be similar to; to resemble”) [map]
    Variety Location Words
    Classical Chinese 似
    Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 像
    Mandarin Taiwan 像
    Yantai (Muping) 像
    Wanrong 像
    Wuhan 像
    Chengdu 像
    Guilin 像
    Malaysia 像
    Singapore 像
    Cantonese Guangzhou 似
    Hong Kong 似
    Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 似
    Singapore (Guangfu) 似
    Gan Nanchang 像
    Lichuan 像
    Jin Taiyuan 像
    Min Dong Fuzhou 像
    Min Nan Xiamen 像
    Taipei 像
    New Taipei (Sanxia) 像
    Kaohsiung 像
    Yilan 像
    Changhua (Lukang) 像
    Taichung 像
    Tainan 像
    Hsinchu 像
    Kinmen 像
    Penghu (Magong) 像
    Singapore (Hokkien) 𫝛, macam
    Chaozhou 然
    Shantou 然
    Jieyang 然
    Singapore (Teochew) 然, macam
    Batam (Teochew) 然, macam
    Haikou 像
    Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 像
    Wu Danyang 像
    Ningbo 像, 像人家, 像家
    Dialectal synonyms of 但是 (“but; however”) [map]
    Variety Location Words
    Classical Chinese 而, 然, 但, 卻, 則
    Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 但是, 但, 可是, 不過, 然而
    Mandarin Taiwan 但是, 但, 可是, 不過
    Malaysia 但
    Singapore 但, 但是, 可是, 不過
    Pematangsiantar tapi
    Cantonese Guangzhou 但係, 不過, 之不過, 之但係
    Hong Kong 但係, 不過, 之不過, 之但係, but
    Taishan 但係
    Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 但係
    Singapore (Guangfu) 但係, 不過, 之不過
    Hakka Meixian 但係, 董係
    Miaoli (N. Sixian) 但係, 毋過
    Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 但係, 毋過
    Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 但係, 毋過
    Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 但係, 毋過
    Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 但係, 毋過
    Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 毋過
    Senai (Huiyang) 但係
    Kuching (Hepo) tapi
    Min Dong Matsu 但是
    Min Nan Xiamen 但是, 毋過, 毋句, 不過, 不而過
    Quanzhou 但是, 毋句, 不過, 不而過
    Zhangzhou 但是, 毋過, 不過, 不而過
    Taipei 但是, 毋過, 不而過
    Penang (Hokkien) tapi, 但是
    Singapore (Hokkien) tapi, 但是, 毋句, 毋過
    Manila (Hokkien) 但是, 毋句, 毋過
    Medan (Hokkien) tapi
    Shantou 是呾
    Shantou (Chenghai) 是呾
    Jieyang 是呾
    Bangkok (Teochew) 但是, แต่ว่า
    Johor Bahru (Teochew) 但是, tapi
    Singapore (Teochew) tapi, 不過, 但是
    Wenchang 但是
    Qionghai 但是
    Wu Shanghai 但是, 必過, 不過
    Wuxi 但必過

    Compounds Edit

    Japanese Edit

    Kanji Edit

    然

    (grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. and; and then; and therefore
    2. so; if so; as it is; in that way
    3. however; but
    4. a certain thing; a sort of thing

    Readings Edit

    Compounds Edit

    Compounds

    Etymology Edit

    Kanji in this term
    然
    ぜん
    Grade: 4
    on’yomi

    From Middle Chinese 然 (nyen, “-like”).

    Pronunciation Edit

    Suffix Edit

    然(ぜん) • (-zen) 

    1. indicates a state (no specific semantic content)

    References Edit

    • Halpern, Jack: New Japanese-English Character Dictionary -Kenkyusha 1990

    Korean Edit

    Hanja Edit

    然 (eumhun 그러할 연 (geureohal yeon))

    1. Hanja form? of 연 (“be as it is”).

    Vietnamese Edit

    Han character Edit

    然: Hán Việt readings: nhiên

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