泥

Translingual

Han character

泥 (Kangxi radical 85, 水+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 水尸心 (ESP), four-corner 3711₁, composition ⿰氵尼)

Derived characters

• 𪣮, 𩸦(𩾆), 𬈤, 𤀛, 𬉚, 𦰫, 埿, 𢛜, 𥺜, 𩸧

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 617, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17311
• Dae Jaweon: page 1012, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1595, character 8
• Unihan data for U+6CE5

• Unihan data for U+F9E3

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 泥
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *niːl, *niːls) : semantic 氵 (“water”) + phonetic 尼 (OC *nil).

Etymology 1

Schuessler (2007) suggests it is of Sino-Tibetan origin and compares it to Lai (nôoy-I, nǒoy-II, “be muddy”), which STEDT derives from Proto-Kuki-Chin *nooy ~ *naay (“muddy; dirty”). According to Schuessler (2007), 泥 (OC *niːl, “mud”) is also cognate with 濘 (OC *neːŋs) but not with 涅 (OC *niːɡ), and is distinct from 泥 (OC *niːls, “impeded”).

On the other hand, STEDT compares 泥 (OC *niːl, *niːls) to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-njak (“filth(y); excrement”), to which 敜 (OC *nɯːb) and 涅 (OC *niːɡ) are also compared.

Pronunciation

Definitions

泥

1. mud (Classifier: 嚿 c; 坺 c)

   滿腳是泥／满脚是泥  ―  mǎn jiǎo shì ní  ―  mud all over one's feet

   軟泥／软泥  ―  ruǎnní  ―  soft mud

   泥娃娃  ―  níwáwá  ―  clay doll

2. (dialectal) soil; earth

   一嚿泥 [Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ gau⁶ nai⁴   ―  a clod of earth

3. any mush-like substance

   薯泥  ―  shǔní  ―  mashed potato

   泥膠／泥胶  ―  níjiāo  ―  Blu-Tack

   鷹嘴豆泥／鹰嘴豆泥  ―  yīngzuǐdòuní  ―  hummus

4. (obsolete) paint (used on walls)
5. An ancient river in modern Hunan
6. An ancient river in modern Gansu
7. (obsolete) weak
8. (Chinese mythology) a kind of animal that lived in sea
9. a surname
10. (～母) (Chinese linguistics) the Middle Chinese initial of 泥 (MC nej)

Synonyms

Compounds

Etymology 2

Schuessler (2007) suggests it is the exopassive derivation of 敜 (OC *nɯːb, “to stop up”) or 涅 (OC *niːɡ, “to stop up”) and is distinct from 泥 (OC *niːl, “mud”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

泥

1. to hold up; to bog down

   • 雖小道，必有可觀者焉，致遠恐泥，是以君子不為也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     虽小道，必有可观者焉，致远恐泥，是以君子不为也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Suī xiǎodào, bì yǒu kěguān zhě yān, zhì yuǎn kǒng nì, shìyǐ jūnzǐ bù wéi yě.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. to plaster; to cover with plaster
3. stubborn; obstinate

   拘泥  ―  jūní  ―  to rigidly adhere to

4. to pester using soft words
5. to be obsessed with and be reluctant to let go of

Compounds

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Definitions

泥

1. Only used in 泥泥.

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

Definitions

泥

1. Only used in 泥母.

Etymology 5

Etymology 6

References

• “泥”, 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–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A02161
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), B00771-003-1
• (Hakka) Lau, Chun-fat. Hakka Pinyin Dictionary (Chinese). Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 1997 (Chinese IME supplement) →ISBN.
• (Min Nan) Taiwan Min Nan Common Words Dictionary (臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典)

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ない (nai)
• Kan-on: でい (dei, Jōyō)
• Kun: どろ (doro, 泥, Jōyō); なずむ (nazumu, 泥む)^{←なづむ (nadumu, 泥む, historical)}

Etymology

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

泥

Wikipedia ^ja

Noun

泥(どろ) • (doro) 

1. mud

Derived terms

• 泥沼(どろぬま) (doronuma): bog
• 泥(どろ)仕(じ)合(あい) (dorojiai): mudslinging

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 泥 (MC nej|nejH). Recorded as Middle Korean 니 (ni) (Yale: ni) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

泥

Wikisource

泥 (eumhun 진흙 니 (jinheuk ni), South Korea 진흙 이 (jinheuk i))

1. Hanja form^? of 니/이 (“mud; dirt”).

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.

Vietnamese

Han character

泥: Hán Nôm readings: nề, nê, nệ, nè, nể, nễ, nơi

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

References

• Nom Foundation
• Lê Sơn Thanh, "Nom-Viet.dat", WinVNKey (details)