可憐

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See also: 可怜

Chinese

can; may; able to
can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis)
 
to pity
trad. (可憐)
simp. (可怜)

Pronunciation



Rime
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial () (29) (37)
Final () (94) (85)
Tone (調) Rising (X) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division () I IV
Fanqie
Baxter khaX len
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/kʰɑX/ /len/
Pan
Wuyun
/kʰɑX/ /len/
Shao
Rongfen
/kʰɑX/ /lɛn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/kʰaX/ /lɛn/
Li
Rong
/kʰɑX/ /len/
Wang
Li
/kʰɑX/ /lien/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/kʰɑX/ /lien/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
lián
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
ho2 lin4
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
lián
Middle
Chinese
‹ khaX › ‹ len ›
Old
Chinese
/*ʰˁaʔ/ /*rˁiŋ/
English may; acceptable love; pity

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * 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
Reading # 1/1 1/1
No. 7446 8193
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1 1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*kʰaːlʔ/ /*riːn/

Verb

可憐

  1. to have pity on; to pity
    可憐可怜  ―  Wǒ hěn kělián tā.  ―  I feel sorry for him.
    可憐身上
    可怜身上
    Kělián shēnshàng yī zhèng dān, xīn yōu tàn jiàn yuàn tiān hán.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

Adjective

可憐

  1. pitiful; pitiable; poor
    可憐孩子可怜孩子  ―  kělián de háizi  ―  poor kid
    • 惘惘情性無由可憐
      惘惘情性无由可怜
      From: Zhuangzi, circa 3rd – 2nd centuries BCE
      Wǎngwǎng hū rǔ yù fǎn rǔ qíngxìng ér wúyóu rù, kělián zāi!
      You are at your wit's end. You wish to recover your proper nature, and you know not what step to take first to find it. You are to be pitied!
    • 可憐行色可憐可憐門前可憐可憐可憐可憐可憐
      From: 《可憐妓詩》 ("Poem to the Courtesan Garyeon"), Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), c. 1830
      Garyeon haengsaek garyeon sin, Garyeon munjeon bang Garyeon. Garyeon cha ui jeon Garyeon, Garyeon neung ji garyeon sim.
      With a pitiable gait, my pitiable self calls for Garyeon in front of her door. I convey to her my pitiable intention; surely she'll understand my pitiable heart.
  2. meager; negligible (of a number or amount)
  3. (literary) lovely
    • 可憐飛燕
      可怜飞燕
      From: 《淸平調詞三首/清平调词三首》, Li Bai, 800s
      Jiè wèn Hàn gōng shuí dé sì, kělián fēiyàn yǐ xīn zhuāng.
      I ask: who in palaces of the Han can approach her like? Even the lovely Feiyan must dress up anew.
    • 可憐明沙令人箇箇父母
      From: 《贈還甲宴老人》 ("For an Old Woman on her Sixtieth Birthday"), Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), c. 1830
      Garyeon gangpo mang, myeongsa sim ni ryeon. Yeong in gaegae seup, gongsu bumo nyeon.
      How lovely it is to look at the riverbank; the bright sands stretch on for ten miles. I would make people pick up each and every ; may your parents' years be as innumerable as they.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Japanese

Kanji in this term

Grade: 5
れん
Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

Pronunciation

Adjective

()(れん) (karen-na (adnominal ()(れん) (karen na), adverbial ()(れん) (karen ni))

  1. pretty, lovely
    • 1919, 板倉勝宣, 山と雪の日記:
      ここから()ると可憐(かれん)(やま)だ。
      Koko kara miru to karen na yama da.
      If you look over there you can see lovely mountains.
  2. pitiful
    • 1932, 魯迅, :
      ところがあの(うま)(ほね)め、()たれても平気(へいき)で、可憐(かれん)そうだ。
      Tokoro ga ano uma no hone me, utarete mo heiki de, karen sō da.
      Still, it's awfully sad to see that bony horse that doesn't even care when it gets hit.
    Synonyms: かわいそう, 気の毒

Inflection

Noun

()(れん) (karen

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

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term

Noun

可憐 (garyeon) (hangeul 가련)

  1. hanja form? of 가련 (pitiful)