乃

Translingual

Stroke order (Mainland China)

Stroke order

Traditional Chinese and Japanese

Han character

乃 (Kangxi radical 4, 丿+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 弓竹尸 (NHS), four-corner 1722₇, composition ⿹㇡丿)

Derived characters

• 仍, 𠮨, 𡉁, 奶, 屷, 𢖱, 扔, 𣱽, 𤜠, 𨸐, 辸, 𣅅, 㭁, 𤆈, 㲌, 𠂫, 礽, 䄧, 𧘌, 𥾋, 𮋣, 𦨋, 𧈣, 䚮, 𬤻, 𬦠, 釢, 𪥑, 𬝡, 𬼅, 𢒁, 𫡐, 𠂪, 𫡝
• 𡦺, 㞧, 艿, 𫶵, 秀, 𬔬, 𠂱, 𭺹, 隽, 𣤃, 𣫉, 䯮, 𩾖, 𧤢, 疓, 氖, 𡩍, 𫡄, 𭑩, 孕, 尕, 𫹭, 朶, 𤆄, 盁, 呄, 㭆, 𫂲, 𧈦, 㚉, 鼐, 𬩄, 𩜒
• 夃, 𠂏, 𡕔, 𡭘, 𢒀, 𪜌, 𦮘, 𠂐, 𪣍, 𬊅, 𦙕, 𥙯, 𥚣, 𮂁, 𥟄, 𨨍, 𩉶, 𠛘, 𨾫, 𡧿, 𫴟, 𬼎, 𡥗, 𣏻, 𫞯, 𫞰, 𣕼, 𧁅

Descendants

• の (Hiragana character derived from Man'yōgana)
• ノ (Katakana character derived from Man'yōgana)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 81, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 113
• Dae Jaweon: page 165, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 31, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4E43

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乃
Shang	Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)			Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Shizhoupian script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j11474 j11475 j11476 j11477 j11478 j11479 j11480 j11481 Bronze inscriptions b07002 b07003 b07004 b07005 b07006 b07007 b07008 b07009 b07010 b07011 b07012 b07013 b07014 b07015 b07016 b07017 b07018 b07019 b07020 b07021 b07022 b07023 b07024 b07025 b07026 b07027 b07028 b07029 b07030 b07031 b07032 b07033 b07034 b07035 b07036 b07037 b07038 b07039 b07040 Small seal script s03493 Transcribed ancient scripts L34567 L34568 L34569 L34570 L15245 L15246 L15247 L15230 L15231 L15232 L15233 L15234 L15235 L15236 L15237 L15238 L15239 L15240 L15241 L15242 L15243 L15244 L15248 L15249 L15250 L15251 L15252 L15253 L15254 L15255
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

From ancient 𠄎.

Etymology 1

“you; your”

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *na-ŋ (“you”).

"then; now"

Related to Tibetan ན (na, “postposition following temporal causes”) (Coblin, 1986).

Pronunciation

Definitions

乃

1. (literary) you, your

   • 朕心朕德，惟乃知。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE

     Zhèn xīn zhèn dé, wéi nǎi zhī.

     Only you know my heart and my virtue.

   • 往踐乃職，無逆朕命。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     往践乃职，无逆朕命。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Wǎng jiàn nǎi zhí, wú nì zhèn mìng.

     Go and carry out your duties, and do not disobey my orders!

   • 王師北定中原日，家祭毋忘告乃翁。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王师北定中原日，家祭毋忘告乃翁。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1210, 陸游 (Lu You), 示兒

     Wángshī běi dìng zhōngyuán rì, jiājì wú wàng gào nǎi wēng.

     On the day the Song army reconquers the Central Plain in the North, do not forget to inform your father when making offerings to your ancestors.

2. (literary) be

   失敗乃成功之母／失败乃成功之母  ―  shībài nǎi chénggōng zhī mǔ  ―  failure is the mother of success

   • 呂公女乃呂后也，生孝惠帝、魯元公主。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     吕公女乃吕后也，生孝惠帝、鲁元公主。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Lǚ Gōng nǚ nǎi Lǚ Hòu yě, shēng Xiàohuì Dì, Lǔyuán Gōngzhǔ.

     The daughter of Lü Gong was Empress Lü, who gave birth to Emperor Hui and Princess Luyuan.

3. (literary) then; hence

   Synonym: 於是／于是 (yúshì)

   • 相如度秦王雖齋，決負約不償城，乃使其從者衣褐，懷其璧，從徑道亡，歸璧於趙。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     相如度秦王虽斋，决负约不偿城，乃使其从者衣褐，怀其璧，从径道亡，归璧于赵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Xiàngrú duò Qín wáng suī zhāi, jué fùyuē bù cháng chéng, nǎi shǐ qí cóngzhě yì hè, huái qí bì, cóng jìngdào wáng, guī bì yú Zhào.

     Lin Xiangru reckoned even though the King of Qin agreed to fast, he would certainly break his promise and not hand over the cities. Hence, he ordered his servant to put on ragged clothes, hide the jade under his bosom, and flee Qin on trails, in order to smuggle the jade back to Zhao.

4. (literary) only then; not ... until

   Synonym: 才 (cái)

   • 趙王送璧時齋戒五日。今大王亦宜齋戒五日，設九賓於廷，臣乃敢上璧。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     赵王送璧时斋戒五日。今大王亦宜斋戒五日，设九宾于廷，臣乃敢上璧。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zhào wáng sòng bì shí zhāijiè wǔ rì. Jīn dàwáng yì yí zhāijiè wǔrì, shè jiǔbīn yú tíng, chén nǎi gǎn shàng bì.

     The King of Zhao fasted for five days before sending the jade off. Now Your Majesty should also fast for five days, and receive me with the Ceremony of Jiubin at the court. Only then will I dare to present the jade.

   • 沛公謂張良曰：「從此道至吾軍，不過二十里耳。度我至軍中，公乃入。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     沛公谓张良曰：「从此道至吾军，不过二十里耳。度我至军中，公乃入。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Pèi Gōng wèi Zhāng Liáng yuē: “Cóng cǐ dào zhì wú jūn, bùguò èrshí lǐ ěr. Duò wǒ zhì jūn zhōng, gōng nǎi rù.”

     Liu Bang said to Zhang Liang, "It is only twenty lis from here to our camp. Only after you estimate that I have arrived at our camp should you enter."

5. (literary) but

   • 不見子都，乃見狂且。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     不见子都，乃见狂且。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Bù jiàn Zǐdōu, nǎi jiàn kuángqiě.

     I do not see Zidu, but I see this mad fellow.

   • 古人以儉為美德，今人乃以儉相詬病。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     古人以俭为美德，今人乃以俭相诟病。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 11th century, Sima Guang, 訓儉示康

     Gǔrén yǐ jiǎn wéi měidé, jīnrén nǎi yǐ jiǎn xiāng gòubìng.

     The ancient people regarded frugality as a virtue, but now people criticize one another for being frugal.

6. (literary) surprisingly; unexpectedly

   Synonym: 竟然 (jìngrán)

   • 問今是何世，乃不知有漢，無論魏晉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記), by Tao Yuanming, 421 (Wiktionary translation)

     Wèn jīn shì hé shì, nǎi bùzhī yǒu hàn, wúlùn Wèi Jìn.

     They asked what the current ruling dynasty was. Surprisingly, they had not even heard of the Han, let alone the Wei and the Jin.

7. (Mainland China, Internet slang, cute-sounding) you (singular)

   乃萌  ―  nǎiméng  ―  (cute-sounding variant of 你們) you (plural)

8. (Northern Wu) now

   從前伊勿敢跳過去，乃伊勿怕了。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
   从前伊勿敢跳过去，乃伊勿怕了。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

   From: 2007, Qian Nairong, 上海话大词典, page 14

   ⁶zon-zhi ⁶yi 勿-koe ⁵thiau-gu-chi ⁶ne ⁶yi 勿-pho ⁸leq [Wugniu]

   A long time ago he was scared to jump over, but now he isn't.

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Synonyms