伯

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

伯 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 人竹日 (OHA), four-corner 2620₀, composition ⿰亻白)

Derived characters

• 𪡈, 𫼻, 𣵁, 𬂺, 𣨔, 𦀪, 𮘓, 𧇚, 𠩡, 𪧐, 𦯉, 𮅓, 𬡹, 𨵁, 𦼑, 𦿛, 𪥷, 𢍑, 𧎧, 𦪥, 𧑲, 𩥥, 𨘐

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 96, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 466
• Dae Jaweon: page 204, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 136, character 2
• Unihan data for U+4F2F

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 伯
Shang	Spring and Autumn	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j18802 Bronze inscriptions b12252 Small seal script s05673 Transcribed ancient scripts L38151 L38152 L38153 L38154 L38155 L38156 L27760 L27761 L27762 L27763 L27764 L27765 L27766 L27767 L27768 L27769
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).

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *praːɡ) : semantic 人 (“person”) + phonetic 白 (OC *braːɡ).

Etymology 1

Unclear. Possibly an areal word (Schuessler, 2007). Compare Mru (rak, “eldest brother”) and Kukish prak (“eldest brother”) (Löffler, 1966), as well as Lahu phâ (“god; lord”) < Thai พระ (prá) < Old Khmer bra or Angkorian Old Khmer braḥ, braḥh, brah (“distinguished; divine; excellent; holy; sacred; superior; etc.”) (see Khmer ព្រះ (preăh) for more).

Possibly related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bʷaŋ ~ *pʷaŋ (“(paternal) uncle; elder brother”), in turn possibly related to 兄 (OC *hmraŋ, “elder brother”) (Benedict, 1972).

Alternatively, from 白 (OC *braːɡ, “white”); compare 皤 (OC *paːl, *baːl, “white”), which underwent parallel semantic shift to "white-haired", though this is possibly folk etymology (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 2 is the exoactive/transitive of pronunciation 1 (ibid.).

Pronunciation

Definitions

伯

1. (archaic) eldest brother
2. paternal uncle; father's elder brother

   三伯、三伯娘 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

   saam¹ baak³, saam¹ baak³ noeng⁴

   father's third elder brother; wife of a father's third elder brother

3. form of address for senior males
4. (historical) count (rank)

   See also: 五等爵位

5. (Jilu Mandarin) mother
6. (Jilu Mandarin) paternal aunt (wife of father's elder brother)
7. (Wu) paternal aunt (father's sister)
8. a surname

Usage notes

In Old Chinese, sons of a same father are referred to in order as 伯 (bó, “first”), 仲 (zhòng, “second”), 叔 (shū, “third”) and 季 (jì, “fourth”). The usage of 仲 and 季 was later eliminated but 伯 and 叔 remained in use when referring to one's father's elder and younger brothers and male cousins. Moreover, 伯仲叔季 (bózhòngshūjì) was commonly used in personal names in the past, and this is still occasionally seen nowadays.

Compounds

Descendants

Others:

• →? Proto-Turkic: *bēg (see there for further descendants)
• → Manchu: ᠪᡝ (be)
• → Thai: แปะ (bpɛ̀), แป๊ะ (bpɛ́, “old Chinese man”) (via Teochew)
• → Vietnamese: bác (“uncle, aunt”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

伯

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of 霸 (“feudal chief”)

   • 十七年，襄王告急于晉，晉文公納王而誅叔帶。襄王乃賜晉文公珪鬯弓矢，為伯，以河內地與晉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     十七年，襄王告急于晋，晋文公纳王而诛叔带。襄王乃赐晋文公珪鬯弓矢，为伯，以河内地与晋。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Shíqī nián, Xiāngwáng gàojí yú Jìn, Jìn Wéngōng nà wáng ér zhū Shūdài. Xiāngwáng nǎi cì Jìn Wéngōng guī chàng gōngshǐ, wéi bà, yǐ Hénèi dì yǔ Jìn.

     In the 17th year, King Xiang announced an emergency to (and asked for emergency help from) Jin; Duke Wen of Jin took the King in then slew Shudai. The King therefore bestowed upon Duke Wen of Jin a jade tablet, sacrificial wine, bow, and arrows, made him Hegemon / Overlord, and granted Jin lands on the inside of the Yellow River.

2. (obsolete) Alternative form of 霸 (“to dominate; to lead”)

   • 文王伐崇，武王伐紂，齊桓任戰而伯天下。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     文王伐崇，武王伐纣，齐桓任战而伯天下。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5^th – 3^rd centuries BCE

     Wénwáng fá Chóng, Wǔwáng fá Zhòu, Qí Huán rèn zhàn ér bà tiānxià.

     King Wen of Zhou smote Chonghou Hu; King Wu of Zhou smote King Zhou of Shang; Duke Huan of Qi used wars to dominate the world.

Compounds

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

References

• “伯”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. count; earl
2. eldest brother; eldest uncle
3. chief official
4. (abbreviation) Brazil

Readings

• Go-on: ひゃく (hyaku); へ (he)
• Kan-on: はく (haku, Jōyō); は (ha)
• Kun: おさ (osa, 伯); はたがしら (hatagashira, 伯)

Compounds

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 伯 (MC paek).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) は​く (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Affix

伯(はく) • (haku) 

1. count; earl
2. Short for ブラジル／伯剌西爾 (Burajiru, “Brazil (a country)”).

References

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 伯 (MC paek). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄇᆡᆨ〮 (póyk) (Yale: poyk) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

伯

Wikisource

伯 (eumhun 맏 백 (mat baek))
伯 (eumhun 큰아버지 백 (keunabeoji baek))

1. Hanja form^? of 백 (“eldest brother”).

   Synonym: 昆 (곤 (gon))

2. Hanja form^? of 백 (“father's elder brother”).

Compounds

Etymology 2

Hanja

伯 (eumhun 두목 패 (dumok pae))
伯 (eumhun 우두머리 패 (udumeori pae))

1. Hanja form^? of 패 (“feudal chief; chieftain; feudal rank count; earl (abolished in the late 14th century)”).

Compounds

• 패주 (伯主, paeju)

See also

• 佰 (백 (baek), “centurion”)
• 汗 (한 (han), “Khan”)
• 可汗 (가한 (gahan), “khagan”)

Etymology 3

Hanja

伯 (eumhun 길 맥 (gil maek))

1. (Literary Chinese) Alternative form of 陌 (맥 (maek))

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

伯: Hán Việt readings: bá, bác
伯: Nôm readings: bá, bác

1. chữ Hán form of bá (“paternal uncle; father's older brother”).

Compounds

References