然

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

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
12 strokes
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 Dictionary: 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／形声, OC *njen) : phonetic 肰 (OC *njen, “dog meat”) + semantic 火 (“fire”) – to burn. Also ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) . 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 (𱼀); 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.
  • 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 (Hokkien) /lian³⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /yoŋ⁵³/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /iŋ²¹/
Shantou (Teochew) /ziaŋ⁵⁵/
Haikou (Hainanese) /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
Eastern Min Fuzhou 像
Southern Min 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, 毋故
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
Eastern Min Fuzhou 但是
Matsu 但是
Southern Min 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, 但不過, 但必過
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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