相

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

相 (Kangxi radical 109, 目+4, 9 strokes, cangjie input 木月山 (DBU), four-corner 4690₀, composition ⿰木目)

Derived characters

• 廂(厢), 㜀, 湘, 緗(缃), 想, 葙, 箱, 霜

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 800, character 18
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 23151
• Dae Jaweon: page 1216, character 8
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2470, character 13
• Unihan data for U+76F8

Chinese

Glyph origin

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 木 (“tree”) + 目 (“eye”) – looking at, or watching the tree.

Etymology

An allofam is 胥 (OC *sŋa, *sŋaʔ, “each other; mutually; all; to observe; to assist”) (Gong, 1995; Schuessler, 2007).

Derivative: 想 (OC *slaŋʔ, “to think”) (“appearance > to visualise > to think”).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

相

1. to see for oneself; to evaluate by seeing for oneself

   相女婿  ―  xiāng nǚxù  ―  assess the suitability of a prospective son-in-law or husband

2. mutually; reciprocally; towards each other; one another

   相望  ―  xiāngwàng  ―  to look at each other

   相逢  ―  xiāngféng  ―  to meet by chance

3. together; jointly
4. successively; one after another
5. towards; to
6. a surname

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

相

1. to look at; to examine the appearance and judge; to observe

   • 相鼠有皮，人而無儀。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     相鼠有皮，人而无仪。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Xiàng shǔ yǒu pí, rén ér wú yí.

     Look at a rat, - it has its skin;
     But a man should be without dignity of demeanour.

2. looks; appearance; features

   長相／长相  ―  zhǎngxiàng  ―  facial features

3. posture; bearing

   站相  ―  zhànxiàng  ―  standing posture

4. demeanour; manners

   吃相  ―  chīxiàng  ―  table manners

5. photo; picture; photograph (Classifier: 張／张 c; 幅 c)

   影幾張相／影几张相 [Cantonese]  ―  jing² gei² zoeng¹ soeng^3-2   ―  to take a few pictures

6. phase; exterior; stage; period
7. (physics) phase

   相空間／相空间  ―  xiàngkōngjiān  ―  phase space

   相位  ―  xiàngwèi  ―  phase

   月相  ―  yuèxiàng  ―  lunar phase

8. (geology) facies
9. to physiognomise; to practise physiognomy; to tell fortune by reading the subject's facial features
10. physiognomy; practice of physiognomy
11. to choose; to pick
12. to assist; to help; to oversee
13. (Chinese mythology) Xiang of Xia (fifth king of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty)
14. (historical) Chancellor of State

    • 恩相，恰纔蒙兩個承局呼喚林沖，將刀來比看。 [MSC, trad.]
      恩相，恰才蒙两个承局呼唤林冲，将刀来比看。 [MSC, simp.]

      From: Water Margin, Chapter 7

      Ēn xiàng, qià cái méng liǎng ge chéng jú hūhuàn Lín Chōng, jiāng dāo lái bǐ kàn.

      Benevolent Lord, two of your lieutenants brought me here saying you wanted to compare your sword with mine.

15. (xiangqi) minister (on the red side)
16. (historical) master of ceremonies
17. (historical) attendant
18. to administer; to govern
19. to teach; to instruct
20. a person who guides or leads a blind person

    • 危而不持，顛而不扶，則將焉用彼相矣？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      危而不持，颠而不扶，则将焉用彼相矣？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

      Wéi ér bù chí, diān ér bù fú, zé jiāng yān yòng bǐ xiàng yǐ? [Pinyin (Taiwanese Mandarin)]

      How can he be used as a guide to a blind man, who does not support him when tottering, nor raise him up when fallen?

21. a surname

Synonyms

• (Chancellor of State): 丞相 (chéngxiàng), 相府 (xiàngfǔ), 相國／相国 (xiàngguó), 宰相 (zǎixiàng)
• (photograph):

Coordinate terms

• (Chinese chess pieces) 帥／帅 (shuài) / 將／将, 仕 (shì) / 士 (shì), 相 / 象 (xiàng), 俥／伡 / 車／车, 傌 / 㐷 / 馬／马 (mǎ), 炮 / 砲／炮, 兵 (bīng) / 卒

Compounds

References

• “相”, 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

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. mutual, reciprocal, with one another
2. appearance, look

Readings

From Middle Chinese 相 (MC sjang); compare Mandarin 相 (xiāng):

• Go-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kan-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}

From Middle Chinese 相 (MC sjangH); compare Mandarin 相 (xiàng):

• Go-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kan-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}

From native Japanese roots:

• Kun: あい (ai, 相, Jōyō)^{←あひ (afi, 相, historical)}; こもごも (komogomo, 相)^{←こもこも (komokomo, 相, historical)}; さが (saga, 相); みる (miru, 相る); たすける (tasukeru, 相ける)
• Nanori: あ (a); あい (ai); あう (au); あきら (akira); い (i); おう (ō); さ (sa); さが (saga); すけ (suke); たすく (tasuku); とも (tomo); はる (haru); まさ (masa); み (mi); みる (miru)

Compounds

Etymology 1

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

From Old Japanese.

Alternative forms

• 性

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さ​が (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

相(さが) • (saga) 

1. nature, personality
2. fate, destiny
3. a habit, custom, or practice
4. the good and bad of a person; especially, one's faults

Synonyms

• (nature): 性質(せいしつ) (seishitsu)
• (fate): 運命(うんめい) (unmei); 宿命(しゅくめい) (shukumei)
• (habit): 癖(くせ) (kuse)
• (custom): 習慣(しゅうかん) (shūkan); 慣(なら)わし, 習(なら)わし (narawashi)
• (good and bad): 善悪(ぜんあく) (zen'aku)
• (faults): 欠点(けってん) (ketten); 短所(たんしょ) (tansho); 悪癖(わるぐせ) (waruguse), 悪癖(あくへき) (akuheki)

Etymology 4

From Middle Chinese 相 (“together, with”), from the way that a minister would always be with their lord. Kan'on, so likely a later borrowing than the sō reading.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しょ​ー (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Suffix

相(しょう) • (-shō) ^{←しゃう (syau)?}

1. minister of state

   首(しゅ)相(しょう)

   shushō

   prime minister

   内(ない)相(しょう)

   naishō

   minister of the interior

Synonyms

• 大臣(だいじん) (daijin)

Etymology 5

From Middle Chinese. Goon, so likely an earlier borrowing than the shō reading.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) そ​ー (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

相(そう) • (sō) ^{←さう (sau)?}

1. appearance, how something looks
2. an aspect of something

   大(だい)自(し)然(ぜん)の色々(いろいろ)な相(そう)

   daishizen no iroiro na sō

   various aspects of nature

3. (grammar) grammatical aspect
4. (physics) a phase, as of matter
5. (ikebana) the central supporting branch of an ikebana arrangement

Related terms

• (ikebana): 役枝(やくえだ) (yakueda)

References

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 相 (MC sjang, “mutual; together”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

相

Wikisource

相 (eumhun 서로 상 (seoro sang))

1. Hanja form^? of 상 (“mutual; together”).

Compounds

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 相 (MC sjangH, “appearance”).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

相 (eumhun 바탕 상 (batang sang))

1. Hanja form^? of 상 (“looks; appearance”).
2. Hanja form^? of 상 (“minister of state”).

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

相: Hán Nôm readings: tương

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