綿

See also: 绵

綿 U+7DBF, 綿 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7DBF ← 綾 [U+7DBE] CJK Unified Ideographs 緀 → [U+7DC0]

Translingual

Han character

綿 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+8, 14 strokes, cangjie input 女火竹日月 (VFHAB), four-corner 2692₇, composition ⿰糹帛)

Derived characters

• 㒙, 嬵, 𢅧, 𤁗, 檰, 矊, 𬡴, 𥽔, 𦘂, 𧓭, 𨮨, 𬞻

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 928, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27592
• Dae Jaweon: page 1366, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3416, character 2
• Unihan data for U+7DBF

Chinese

trad.		綿
simp.		绵
alternative forms		緜

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (綿) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
綿	*men
棉	*men
緜	*men
矊	*men

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 糸 + 帛 (“silk”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mián (mian²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): min⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mièn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): miên²

• Eastern Min (BUC): mièng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): mî / biân

  (Teochew, Peng'im): miang⁵ / miêng⁵ / min⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶mi

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mián
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mián
    • Wade–Giles: mien²
    • Yale: myán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mian
    • Palladius: мянь (mjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi̯ɛn³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: min⁴
    • Yale: mìhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: min⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: min⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miːn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mièn
    • Hakka Romanization System: mien^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mian²
    • Sinological IPA: /mi̯en¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: miên²
    • Sinological IPA: /miɛn¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: mièng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mieŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mî / biân
    • Tâi-lô: mî / biân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mii, bieen
    • IPA (Xiamen): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /mĩ¹³/, /biɛn¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /mĩ²³/, /biɛn²³/

Note:

• mî - vernacular;
• biân - literary.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: miang⁵ / miêng⁵ / min⁵
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: miâng / miêng / mîⁿ
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miaŋ⁵⁵/, /mieŋ⁵⁵/, /mĩ⁵⁵/

Note:

• miang5/miêng5 - literary (miêng5 - Chaozhou);
• min5 - vernacular.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶mi
    • MiniDict: mi^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mi²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: mjien

Rime
Character	綿
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	仙 (77)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	武延切
Baxter	mjien
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/miᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/miɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/mjæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mian/
Li Rong	/miɛn/
Wang Li	/mĭɛn/
Bernard Karlgren	/mi̯ɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mián
Expected Cantonese Reflex	min4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*men/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	綿
Reading #	1/1
No.	9048
Phonetic component	綿
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	緜
Old Chinese	/*men/
Notes	同緜

Definitions

綿

1. silk floss

   絲綿／丝绵  ―  sīmián  ―  silk floss

2. to continue; to be continuous

   連綿／连绵  ―  liánmián  ―  continuous

   綿亙／绵亘  ―  miángèn  ―  to stretch in an unbroken chain

3. soft; weak

   綿軟／绵软  ―  miánruǎn  ―  soft

   綿力／绵力  ―  miánlì  ―  (my) meagre effort

4. (dialectal, obsolete) to apply; to cover

   • 緡、緜，施也。秦曰緡，趙曰緜，吴、越之間脱衣相被謂之緡緜。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     缗、绵，施也。秦曰缗，赵曰绵，吴、越之间脱衣相被谓之缗绵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, Fangyan, c. 1^st century BCE

     Mín, mián, shī yě. Qín yuē mín, zhào yuē mián, wú, yuè zhījiān tuōyī xiàng bèi wèi zhī mínmián. [Pinyin]

     Both mín and mián signify to apply—mín is used in the Qin region, and mián in Zhao. In Wu and Yue, mínmián refers to the act of taking off one's clothes and covering something with it.

5. (obsolete) Alternative form of 棉 (mián, “cotton”)

Compounds

• 情意綿綿／情意绵绵
• 摘綿術／摘绵术
• 撏綿扯絮／挦绵扯絮
• 柳綿／柳绵 (liǔmián)
• 水綿／水绵 (shuǐmián)
• 沉綿／沉绵 (chénmián)
• 河綿／河绵
• 海綿／海绵 (hǎimián)
• 海綿刷／海绵刷
• 海綿動物／海绵动物
• 海綿田／海绵田
• 海綿蛋糕／海绵蛋糕 (hǎimián dàngāo)
• 海綿鐵／海绵铁
• 海綿體／海绵体 (hǎimiántǐ)
• 瓜瓞綿綿／瓜瓞绵绵
• 病榻纏綿／病榻缠绵 (bìngtàchánmián)
• 石綿／石绵 (shímián)
• 礦綿／矿绵
• 福壽綿綿／福寿绵绵
• 福壽綿長／福寿绵长
• 綿上／绵上
• 綿亙／绵亘 (miángèn)
• 綿力／绵力 (miánlì)
• 綿力薄材／绵力薄材
• 綿子／绵子
• 綿密／绵密 (miánmì)
• 綿密小巧／绵密小巧
• 綿山／绵山
• 綿延／绵延 (miányán)
• 綿延不絕／绵延不绝
• 綿延起伏／绵延起伏
• 綿弓／绵弓
• 綿惙／绵惙
• 綿歷／绵历
• 綿毛／绵毛
• 網水綿／网水绵
• 綿爛／绵烂 (mî-nōa) (Min Nan)
• 綿篤／绵笃
• 綿紙／绵纸
• 綿紬／绵绸
• 綿絮／绵絮
• 綿綢／绵绸
• 綿綴／绵缀
• 綿綿／绵绵 (miánmián)
• 綿綿不息／绵绵不息
• 綿綿不斷／绵绵不断
• 綿綿瓜瓞／绵绵瓜瓞
• 綿纏／绵缠
• 綿羊／绵羊 (miányáng)
• 綿聯／绵联 (miánlián)
• 綿花嘴／绵花嘴
• 綿薄／绵薄 (miánbó)
• 綿蠻／绵蛮 (miánmán)
• 綿衣／绵衣
• 綿裡針／绵里针
• 綿裹秤鎚／绵裹秤锤
• 綿軟／绵软 (miánruǎn)
• 綿邈／绵邈
• 綿長／绵长 (miáncháng)
• 綿陽／绵阳 (Miányáng)
• 綿頓／绵顿
• 纏綿／缠绵 (chánmián)
• 纏綿悱惻／缠绵悱恻 (chánmiánfěicè)
• 聯綿字／联绵字 (liánmiánzì)
• 聯綿字典／联绵字典
• 聯綿對／联绵对
• 芊綿／芊绵 (qiānmián)
• 裡牽綿／里牵绵
• 軟綿綿／软绵绵 (ruǎnmiánmián)
• 連綿／连绵 (liánmián)
• 連綿不斷／连绵不断 (liánmiánbùduàn)
• 連綿不絕／连绵不绝
• 連綿字／连绵字 (liánmiánzì)
• 連綿起伏／连绵起伏

 

References

• “Entry #10784”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

Japanese

Kanji

綿

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: めん (men, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: べん (ben)
• Kun: わた (wata, 綿, Jōyō)
• Nanori: う (u)

Etymology 1

綿 (men, wata): raw cotton on the bush.

Kanji in this term
綿
めん Grade: 5
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 綿／绵 (miɛn, “wool; cotton; soft, downy”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) めん [méꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [mẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

綿(めん) • (men) 

1. cotton (both the fiber and the cloth)

Usage notes

As a standalone noun, the term 木綿 (momen, “cotton”, literally “tree or bush + woolly batting”) is used more often. This is especially true in speech, to avoid ambiguity with the various homophones, such as 面 (men, “face”) or 麺 (men, “noodle”).

Synonyms

• 木綿(もめん) (momen)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
綿
わた Grade: 5
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *wata. Cognate with Okinawan 綿 (wata).

Originally referred to any batting or stuffing, which was generally unspun silk. The meaning shifted after the spread of cotton in the Muromachi period.

Alternative forms

• (both rare) 棉, 草綿

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) わた [wàtáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [β̞a̠ta̠]

Noun

綿(わた) • (wata) 

1. the cotton plant
2. raw cotton
3. batting or stuffing
4. the albedo of a citrus; or the pith/placenta of a pepper

   Synonym: アルベド (arubedo, “albedo”)

5. (figurative) the state of being exhausted or extremely tired (likely from the hard work required to pick cotton)

   綿(わた)のように疲(つか)れた

   wata no yō ni tsukareta

   to be as tired as cotton → to be exhausted

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 真(ま)綿(わた) (mawata): silk batting; silk floss
• 綿(わた)菓子(がし) (watagashi): cotton candy, candy floss

Korean

Hanja

綿 (eumhun 이어질 면 (ieojil myeon))

1. hanja form^? of 면 (“cotton wad”)
2. hanja form^? of 면 (“wool”)
3. hanja form^? of 면 (“soft, downy”)

Vietnamese

Han character

綿: Hán Nôm readings: miên, men, mền, mên, min

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