芥

芥 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+4, 8 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 7 strokes in mainland China and Japanese, cangjie input 廿人中中 (TOLL) or 難廿人中中 (XTOLL), four-corner 4422₈, composition ⿱艹介)

• 𠶋, 𤊍, 𰥬

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1019, character 31
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30715
• Dae Jaweon: page 1477, character 14
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3182, character 6
• Unihan data for U+82A5

Historical forms of the character 芥
Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Qin slip script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kreːds) : semantic 艸 (“grass, plant”) + phonetic 介 (OC *kreːds) – a type of plant.

The meaning "mustard green" is attested earliest in the Book of Rites; "small grass" in Zuo zhuan (Ai 1).

Schuessler (2007) compares it to Middle Korean 갓 (kas), Proto-Southwestern Tai *ka:tᴰ (> Thai กาด (gàat), Lao ກາດ (kāt), Shan ၵၢတ်ႇ (kàat)), Proto-Vietic *kaːs (> Vietnamese cải, Muong cái, & Thavung kajh¹). However, all those foreign items might have been loaned from Late Old Chinese or Eastern Han Chinese (as proposed by Pittayaporn for *ka:tᴰ),

芥

1. mustard greens (Brassica juncea)

   • 膾：春用蔥，秋用芥。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     脍：春用葱，秋用芥。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Kuài: chūn yòng cōng, qiū yòng jiè.

     Mince was made in spring, with onions; in autumn, with the mustard plant.

2. (literary) small grass

   • 臣聞：「國之興也，視民如傷，是其福也。其亡也，以民為土芥，是其禍也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     臣闻：「国之兴也，视民如伤，是其福也。其亡也，以民为土芥，是其祸也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Chén wén: “Guó zhī xìng yě, shì mín rú shāng, shì qí fú yě. Qí wáng yě, yǐ mín wèi tǔjiè, shì qí huò yě.”

     I have heard that States flourish when they regard their people as if apprehensive of their receiving hurt:;`——that brings prosperity. States again perish when they treat their people as earth or grass; —that brings calamity.

   • 君之視臣如土芥，則臣視君如寇讎 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君之视臣如土芥，则臣视君如寇雠 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     jūn zhī shì chén rú tǔjiè, zé chén shì jūn rú kòuchóu

     When the prince regards his ministers as earth or as grass, they regard him as a robber and an enemy.

   • 覆杯水於坳堂之上，則芥為之舟。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     覆杯水于坳堂之上，则芥为之舟。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Fù bēi shuǐ yú àotáng zhī shàng, zé jiè wéi zhī zhōu.

     Tip water from a cup into a cavity, and a leaf of grass will float on it like were a boat.

3. (literary, figurative) triviality

• → Proto-Tai: *kaːtᴰ (“mustard greens”)
  • Proto-Southwestern Tai: *kaːtᴰ (“mustard greens”)
    • Lao: ກາດ (kāt)
    • Shan: ၵၢတ်ႇ (kàat)
    • Thai: กาด (gàat)

(“Jinmeiyō” kanji used for names)

1. mustard
2. rubbish, trash, dust

• Go-on: け (ke)
• Kan-on: かい (kai)
• Kun: あくた (akuta, 芥); からし (karashi, 芥); ごみ (gomi, 芥)

芥 • (gae) (hangeul 개, revised gae, McCune–Reischauer kae, Yale kay)

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芥: Hán Nôm readings: giới

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