本

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See also: 夲 and 𠥽
本 U+672C, 本
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-672C
← 末
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 札 →

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

本 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 木一 (DM), four-corner 50230, composition ⿻木一)

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 509, character 7
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14421
  • Dae Jaweon: page 891, character 2
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1151, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+672C

Further reading

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 本
alternative forms 夲

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 本
Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (本) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
本 *pɯːnʔ
笨 *pɯːnʔ, *bɯːnʔ
苯 *pɯːnʔ
翉 *pʰɯːnʔ
体 *bɯːnʔ
鉢 *poːd
缽 *poːd

Ideogram (指事) : a tree (木 (mù)) with its bottom highlighted with an extra stroke, accentuating the roots; contrast 末, 朱.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(b/p)ul (“root; stump; tree”) (STEDT). Cognate with Mizo bul (“cause; beginning; root; stump”), Jingpho phun (“tree; bush; stalk; wood”), Garo bol (“tree”).This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Schuessler 2007

Pronunciation

Note:
  • běnr - “capital, principal; book; script; classifier for books, plays, films”.
Note:
  • bong3/buong3 - literary;
  • bue3/buiⁿ3 - vernacular.
Note:
  • Quanzhou, Jinjiang, and Taiwan:
    • pún - literary;
    • pńg - vernacular.
Note: beng2 - Jieyang.
    • (Leizhou)
      • Leizhou Pinyin: bung2 / bui2
      • Sinological IPA: /puŋ³¹/, /pui³¹/
Note:
  • bung2 - literary;
  • bui2 - vernacular.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 本
Mandarin Beijing /pən²¹⁴/
Harbin /pən²¹³/
Tianjin /pən¹³/
Jinan /pẽ⁵⁵/
Qingdao /pə̃⁵⁵/
Zhengzhou /pən⁵³/
Xi'an /pẽ⁵³/
Xining /pə̃⁵³/
Yinchuan /pəŋ⁵³/
Lanzhou /pə̃n⁴⁴²/
Ürümqi /pɤŋ⁵¹/
Wuhan /pən⁴²/
Chengdu /pən⁵³/
Guiyang /pen⁴²/
Kunming /pə̃⁵³/
Nanjing /pən²¹²/
Hefei /pən²⁴/
Jin Taiyuan /pəŋ⁵³/
Pingyao /pəŋ⁵³/
Hohhot /pə̃ŋ⁵³/
Wu Shanghai /pəŋ³⁵/
Suzhou /pən⁵¹/
Hangzhou /pen⁵³/
Wenzhou /paŋ³⁵/
Hui Shexian /pʌ̃³⁵/
Tunxi /pɛ³¹/
Xiang Changsha /pən⁴¹/
Xiangtan /pən⁴²/
Gan Nanchang /pɨn²¹³/
Hakka Meixian /pun³¹/
Taoyuan /pun³¹/
Cantonese Guangzhou /pun³⁵/
Nanning /pun³⁵/
Hong Kong /pun³⁵/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /pun⁵³/
/pŋ̍⁵³/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /puoŋ³²/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /pɔŋ²¹/
Shantou (Teochew) /puŋ⁵³/
Haikou (Hainanese) /ʔbun²¹³/
/ʔbui²¹³/
Rime
Character 本
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 幫 (1)
Final (韻) 魂 (55)
Tone (調) Rising (X)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) I
Fanqie 布忖切
Baxter pwonX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/puənX/
Pan
Wuyun 		/puonX/
Shao
Rongfen 		/puənX/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/pwənX/
Li
Rong 		/puənX/
Wang
Li 		/puənX/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/puənX/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		běn
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		bun2
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 本
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		běn
Middle
Chinese 		‹ pwonX ›
Old
Chinese 		/*C.pˁəʔ/
English tree trunk

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 本
Reading # 1/1
No. 473
Phonetic
component 		本
Rime
group 		文
Rime
subdivision 		1
Corresponding
MC rime 		本
Old
Chinese 		/*pɯːnʔ/

Definitions

本

  1. (of plants) root; stem
  2. source; origin; root
    努力工作是成功之本。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Nǔlì gōngzuò shì chénggōng zhī běn.
    Hard work is the ultimate source of success.
  3. foundation; basis
    謙遜是美德之本。 [MSC, trad.]
    谦逊是美德之本。 [MSC, simp.]
    Qiānxùn shì měidé zhī běn.
    Humility is the foundation of all virtue.
  4. edition; version; copy
    標點本／标点本  ―  biāodiǎn běn  ―  punctuated edition
    宋本  ―  sòng běn  ―  Song-era edition
  5. originally; initially
  6. current; present
    本年  ―  běnnián  ―  current year
    本財政年度的全部投資預算已用完。 [MSC, trad.]
    本财政年度的全部投资预算已用完。 [MSC, simp.]
    Běn cáizhèng nián dù de quánbù tóuzī yùsuàn yǐ yòngwán.
    We have already used up our total investment budget for the current fiscal year.
  7. this; here; this very
    本人  ―  běnrén  ―  I
    戲精本精／戏精本精  ―  xìjīng běn jīng  ―  drama queen him/herself
    本函下面所示系Y先生的簽名。 [MSC, trad.]
    本函下面所示系Y先生的签名。 [MSC, simp.]
    Běn hán xiàmiàn suǒ shì xì Y xiānshēng de qiānmíng.
    You will find the signature of Mr. Y. at the foot hereof.
  8. capital (money used in investment)
  9. Classifier for books, periodicals, files. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier
    一本書／一本书  ―  yī běn shū  ―  a book
    一本雜誌／一本杂志  ―  yī běn zázhì  ―  a magazine
    一本冊／一本册 [Hokkien]  ―  chi̍t pún chheh [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  a book
  10. volume
  11. (Korean Classical Chinese) ancestral seat of a descent group

Synonyms

  • (classifier):
Dialectal synonyms of 本 (“(classifier for books)”)
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 本
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 本
Taiwan 本
Chengde 本
Chifeng 本兒
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 本兒
Heihe 本
Qiqihar 本
Harbin 本
Jiamusi 本兒
Baicheng 本兒
Changchun 本兒
Tonghua 本兒
Shenyang 本兒
Jinzhou 本
Jilu Mandarin Tianjin 本
Tangshan 本
Cangzhou 本兒
Baoding 本兒
Shijiazhuang 本
Lijin 本兒
Jinan 本兒
Jiaoliao Mandarin Dalian 本兒
Dandong 本兒
Yantai 本
Qingdao 本兒
Zhucheng 本兒
Central Plains Mandarin Lingbao 本兒
Jining 本兒
Linfen 本兒
Shangqiu 本
Yuanyang 本兒
Zhengzhou 本兒
Xinyang 本
Baihe 本
Xi'an 本
Baoji 本
Tianshui 本
Xining 本
Xuzhou 本
Fuyang 本
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan 本
Lanzhou 本
Dunhuang 本
Hami 本
Ürümqi 本
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 本
Nanchong 本
Dazhou 本
Hanyuan 本
Xichang 本
Zigong 本
Chongqing 本
Wuhan 本
Yichang 本
Xiangyang 本
Tianmen 本
Guiyang 本
Zunyi 本
Bijie 本
Liping 本
Zhaotong 本
Dali 本
Kunming 本
Mengzi 本
Guilin 本
Liuzhou 本
Jishou 本
Changde 本
Hanzhong 本
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing 本
Yangzhou 本
Lianyungang 本
Lianshui 本
Nantong 本
Anqing 本
Wuhu 本
Hefei 本
Hong'an 本
Cantonese Guangzhou 本
Hong Kong 本
Huizhou Shexian 本
Jin Taiyuan 本
Yangyuan 本兒
Datong 本
Xinzhou 本
Lüliang (Lishi) 本兒
Changzhi 本
Linhe 本
Jining 本兒
Hohhot 本
Erenhot 本
Pingshan 本兒
Zhangjiakou 本
Handan 本
Linzhou 本
Suide 本兒
Southern Min Xiamen 本
Quanzhou 本
Jinjiang 卷
Yongchun 卷
Zhangzhou 本
Manila (Hokkien) 本, 卷

Antonyms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (本):
  • → Japanese: 本(ほん) (hon)
  • → Okinawan: 本(ふん) (fun)
  • → Korean: 본(本) (bon)
  • → Vietnamese: bổn (本), bản (本)

Others:

Compounds

Further reading

Japanese

Kanji

本

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

  • Go-on: ほん (hon, Jōyō)
  • Kan-on: ほん (hon, Jōyō)
  • Kun: もと (moto, 本, Jōyō)
  • Nanori: なり (nari)、はじめ (hajime)、もと (moto)

Compounds

Derived terms

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
本
もと
Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

Counter

本(もと) • (-moto) 

  1. blades of grass and tree trunks
  2. falcons

Noun

本(もと) • (moto)  (counter 個)

  1. Alternative form of 元

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
本
ほん
Grade: 1
on'yomi

Counter

本(ほん) • (-hon) 

  1. long cylindrical things such as glasses of drink, pairs of jeans, pens or trains and buses
  2. films or TV shows
  3. home runs or goals
  4. rounds of a match in boxing, wrestling or judo
See also
Japanese number-counter combinations for 本(ほん) (hon)
1 2 3 4 5
一(いっ)本(ぽん) (ippon) 二(に)本(ほん) (nihon) 三(さん)本(ぼん) (sanbon) 四(よん)本(ほん) (yonhon) 五(ご)本(ほん) (gohon)
6 7 8 9 10
六(ろっ)本(ぽん) (roppon) 七(なな)本(ほん) (nanahon)
七(しち)本(ほん) (shichihon) 		八(はっ)本(ぽん) (happon)
八(はち)本(ほん) (hachihon) 		九(きゅう)本(ほん) (kyūhon) 十(じゅっ)本(ぽん) (juppon)
十(じっ)本(ぽん) (jippon)
100 1,000 10,000 How many?
百(ひゃっ)本(ぽん) (hyappon) 千(せん)本(ぼん) (senbon) 一(いち)万(まん)本(ぼん) (ichimanbon) 何(なん)本(ぼん) (nanbon)
何(なん)本(ほん) (nanhon)
何(なん)本(ぽん) (nanpon)

Noun

本(ほん) • (hon)  (counter 冊)

  1. a book
    本(ほん)を読(よ)む
    hon o yomu
    to read a book
  1. a script; a scenario
  2. source; origin; root

Prefix

本(ほん) • (hon-) 

  1. current, this, the matter in question
    本(ほん)大(たい)会(かい) ― hontaikai ― this event; today’s competition
  2. original, actual, base
    本(ほん)山葵(わさび) ― honwasabi ― real wasabi (as opposed to horseradish or other substitutes)
    本(ほん)大(だい)臣(じん) ― hondaijin ― the cabinet member (on whose behalf a proxy speaks)

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 本 (MC pwonX). Recorded as Middle Korean 본 (pwon) (Yale: pwon) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

本 (eumhun 근본 본 (geunbon bon))

  1. hanja form? of 본 (“root; basis; foundation; stem”)
  2. hanja form? of 본 (“source; origin”)
  3. hanja form? of 본 (“main; primary; principal”)
  4. hanja form? of 본 (“mind; nature; essence; true self”)
  5. hanja form? of 본 (“ancestor; fatherland; hometown”)
  6. hanja form? of 본 (“counter for books; book; publication”)
  7. hanja form? of 본 (“model; version”)
  8. hanja form? of 본 (“this; this very”)
  9. hanja form? of 본 (“(finance) principal”)

Compounds

Compounds

References

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

Okinawan

Kanji

本

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
本
むとぅ
Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Noun

本(むとぅ) (mutu)  (counter 個)

  1. Alternative form of 元

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
本
ふん
Grade: 1
on'yomi

Counter

本(ふん) (-fun) 

  1. long cylindrical things such as glasses of drink, pairs of jeans, pens or trains and buses
    くぬ二(に)本(ふの)ぉ芯(しん)ぬ折(をぅー)りやっさん。
    Kunu nifunō shin-nu wūriyassan.
    The lead in these 2 is easy to break.
  2. films or TV shows
  3. home runs or goals
  4. rounds of a match in boxing, wrestling or judo

Old Japanese

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 本 (MC pwonX).

Phonogram

本 (po1)

  1. Denotes phonographic syllable po1.
    • 711–712, Kojiki:
      本那迦迩多知弖
      po1-naka ni tat-i-t-e
      ...stands in the middle of the fire...

Further reading

Tày

Noun

本 (bản)

  1. Nôm form of bản (“village”).
    𱐍略本押伴略𫶾
    Dú lược bản, cáp bạn lược cần
    If you want to live, choose a place; if you want to make friends, choose people
    本眉官栈眉棟
    Bản mì quan, chàn mì toỏng
    Every village has a leader, every floor has pillars

References

  • Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

Vietnamese

Han character

本: Hán Việt readings: bổn (布(bố)忖(thỗn)切(thiết))[1][2][3][4], bản[1][5]
本: Nôm readings: vốn[1][2][5][6][3][4][7], bộn[1][5][6][3][4][7], bổn[2][5][3][7], bủn[6][3][4][7], bốn[1][2][5], vỏn[5][6][3], bỏn[5][4][7], bản[1][2], vón[1], bọn[4]

  1. chữ Hán form of bản (“basis; origin”).
  2. chữ Hán form of bổn (“basis; origin”).
  3. Nôm form of bốn (“four”).
  4. Nôm form of vón (“to clot”).
  5. Nôm form of vốn (“capital; bond; fund”).

Compounds

Compounds

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Nguyễn (2014).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Bonet (1899).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Génibrel (1898).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Trần (2004).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Hồ (1976).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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