秀

Translingual

Han character

秀 (Kangxi radical 115, 禾+2, 7 strokes, cangjie input 竹木弓竹尸 (HDNHS), four-corner 2022₇, composition ⿱禾乃)

Derived characters

• 𠉑, 唀, 𪣜, 㛢, 𫵿, 𢓵, 𢭆, 𣵛, 𨹳, 𣒴, 𬊔, 琇, 𤯪, 𥏗, 𮀞, 𥙾, 䅎, 𧚘, 綉(绣), 蜏, 誘(诱), 銹(锈), 𮪆, 𱆯
• 透, 𣮁, 䞬, 𠃯, 𮂼, 𤥹, 頺, 𥢁, 𪁮, 𥣧, 𥤃, 莠, 𨴷, 𣜗, 𦏁

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 849, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24911
• Dae Jaweon: page 1270, character 16
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2589, character 4
• Unihan data for U+79C0

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 秀
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

From an earlier form 𥝙, attested in the stone drum inscriptions (石鼓文 (shígǔwén)) from the Warring States period.

According to Chi (2010), the character is an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 禾 (“rice plant”) + 引 (“to draw out flowers”) — blooming of a rice plant. The Shuihudi Qin bamboo texts (睡簡) recorded this character as ⿱禾引. The bottom component 弓 found in the stone drum inscriptions is likely a reduction of 引.

Xu Kai (徐鍇), the author of 《說文解字繫傳》 (10th century AD) gave the following explanation: Pictogram (象形) : 禾 (“plant”) + 乃, resembling a fruit/an ear hanging off a plant.

Shuowen states that this character was tabooed at that time (2nd century AD) and so did not elaborate on its origin, due to it being the birth name of Emperor Guangwu of Han.

Etymology 1

May be a causative of 褎 (OC *lɯws, “growth of seedlings”). Compare Proto-Vietic *m-loh (“to blossom”) (whence Vietnamese trổ (“to burst, to open, to display”), lổ (“naked”)), and Khmer លាស់ (lŏəh, “to grow, to blossom, to prosper”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

秀

1. ^† (of plants, especially of crops) to shoot out into ears; earing; ear

   秀而不實／秀而不实  ―  xiù'érbùshí  ―  to put forth flowers but bear no fruit

   • 實種實褎，實發實秀。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     实种实褎，实发实秀。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Shí zhòng shí yòu, shí fā shí xiù.

     Then he used it as seed, and it sprang up; It grew and came into ear.

2. ^† (of plants) to bear fruit
3. ^† (of plants) to blossom

   • 螻蟈鳴，蚯螾出，王瓜生，苦菜秀。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     蝼蝈鸣，蚯螾出，王瓜生，苦菜秀。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Lóuguō míng, qiūyǐn chū, wángguā shēng, kǔcài xiù.

     The green frogs croak. Earthworms come forth. The royal melons grow. The sow-thistle is in seed.

4. beautiful; elegant; graceful

   秀麗／秀丽  ―  xiùlì  ―  pretty

   秀美  ―  xiùměi  ―  elegant

   眉清目秀  ―  méiqīngmùxiù  ―  with delicate features

5. (especially of a person) outstanding; prominent; extraordinary

   優秀／优秀  ―  yōuxiù  ―  excellent

   俊秀  ―  jùnxiù  ―  elegant; pretty

Compounds

Descendants

Etymology 2

Phono-semantic matching of English show. Doublet of 騷／骚 (sāo)

Pronunciation

Definitions

秀

1. to manifest; to show; to display

   秀出  ―  xiùchū  ―  to show

2. show

   脫口秀／脱口秀  ―  tuōkǒuxiù  ―  talk show

   時裝秀／时装秀  ―  shízhuāngxiù  ―  fashion show

Synonyms

• (show): (Cantonese) 騷／骚 (sou1)

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. excellent, outstanding

Readings

• Go-on: しゅ (shu)
• Kan-on: しゅう (shū, Jōyō)^{←しう (siu, historical)}
• Kun: ひいでる (hīderu, 秀でる, Jōyō)

Proper noun

秀(しゅう) • (Shū) 

1. a male given name

Korean

Hanja

秀 (eumhun 빼어날 수 (ppaeeonal su))

1. outstanding, remarkable, excellent

Vietnamese

Han character

秀: Hán Nôm readings: tú

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