Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 万. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 万, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 万 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 万 you have here. The definition of the word 万 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of万, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Various theories have been proposed for its original meaning:
Qu Wanli, Qiu Xigui and others propose that it originally refers to a type of dancer-musicians. This usage is attested in the oracle inscriptions. This may be supported by ancient literature, e.g. Shijing, which mentions a type of dance called 萬舞/万舞.
Lin Yiguang proposes that it is an ancient form of 丏 (OC *meːnʔ), acting as a phonetic component in 賓 (OC *mpin).
Some propose that it is a differentiated form of 亥.
Etymology 1
For pronunciation and definitions of 万 – see 萬 (“scorpion; etc.”). (This character is the simplified and variant form of萬).
Notes:
Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Appears to be a compound or inflection, but the derivation is unclear. Possibly related to Korean여러(yeoreo, “several, various”), in which case the final /-du/ in the Old Japanese might be a voiced version of the generic numeral nominalizer つ(tsu).