向

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See also: 冋, 尚, 何, 同, 回, and 嚮
向 U+5411, 向
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5411
← 吐
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 吒 →

Translingual

Stroke order
0 strokes

Han character

向 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 竹月口 (HBR), four-corner 27220, composition ⿱丿冋 or ⿵𰃦口)

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 176, character 4
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3301
  • Dae Jaweon: page 393, character 4
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 579, character 8
  • Unihan data for U+5411

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 向
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (向) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
晌 *hljaŋʔ
餉 *hljaŋs
向 *hljaŋs, *hlaŋs
珦 *hljaŋs, *hlaŋs

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 宀 (“house”) + 口 (“mouth”), echos in a place. The original form of 響. It was borrowed to represent 𠨍 (嚮) later. The mouth doesn't represent an opening (e.g., a door or a window) as in 高 and 谷. Similar to 冋.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
 向
“ACG: for (directed at, intended to belong to)”
Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 向(む)け (muke).

Pronunciation 1

Note:
  • hiòng/hiàng - literary;
  • hiàⁿ/ǹg/àⁿ - vernacular.
Rime
Character 向
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 曉 (32)
Final (韻) 陽 (105)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 許亮切
Baxter xjangH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/hɨɐŋH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/hiɐŋH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/xiɑŋH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/hɨaŋH/
Li
Rong 		/xiaŋH/
Wang
Li 		/xĭaŋH/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/xi̯aŋH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		xiàng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		hoeng3
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 向
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		xiàng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ xjangH ›
Old
Chinese 		/*n̥aŋ-s/
English window facing North; turn towards

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 向
Reading # 2/2
No. 13660
Phonetic
component 		向
Rime
group 		陽
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		向
Old
Chinese 		/*hlaŋs/
Definitions

向

  1. to face
    向陽／向阳  ―  xiàngyáng  ―  to face the sun
    大門向南／大门向南  ―  dàmén xiàng nán  ―  the entrance faces south
    相向而行  ―  xiàng xiàng ér xíng  ―  to walk towards each other
  2. to side with; to favour; to discriminate in favour of
  3. (literary) to admire; to revere
  4. (literary) to approach; to advance towards
    向晚  ―  xiàngwǎn  ―  evening
  5. direction
    風向／风向  ―  fēngxiàng  ―  wind direction
    志向  ―  zhìxiàng  ―  ambitions
  6. towards; to
    向東走／向东走  ―  xiàng dōng zǒu  ―  to go east
    流向大海  ―  liú xiàng dàhǎi  ―  to flow towards the sea
    向警方報案／向警方报案  ―  xiàng jǐngfāng bào'àn  ―  to report a crime to the post
    我有些問題想向您請教。 [MSC, trad.]
    我有些问题想向您请教。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ yǒu xiē wèntí xiǎng xiàng nín qǐngjiào.
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    大家紛紛把目光投向他。 [MSC, trad.]
    大家纷纷把目光投向他。 [MSC, simp.]
    Dàjiā fēnfēn bǎ mùguāng tóu xiàng tā.
    Everyone cast their gaze towards him.
  7. (literary) the old days; the past
  8. always; throughout
    向有研究  ―  xiàng yǒu yánjiū  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  9. (Taivoan religious concept) sorcery, taboo, and magic
  10. (chiefly ACG, suffix forming attributive adjectives) for (directed at, intended to belong to)
    子供向  ―  zǐgōngxiàng  ―  family-friendly (literally, “for children”)
    催淚向／催泪向  ―  cuīlèixiàng  ―  tearjerker
Compounds
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (向):
  • → Vietnamese: hướng (向)

Pronunciation 2

Rime
Character 向
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 書 (26)
Final (韻) 陽 (105)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 式亮切
Baxter syangH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/ɕɨɐŋH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/ɕiɐŋH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/ɕiɑŋH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/ɕɨaŋH/
Li
Rong 		/ɕiaŋH/
Wang
Li 		/ɕĭaŋH/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/ɕi̯aŋH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		shàng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		soeng3
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 向
Reading # 1/2
No. 13658
Phonetic
component 		向
Rime
group 		陽
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		餉
Old
Chinese 		/*hljaŋs/
Definitions

向

  1. An ancient state in modern Shandong
  2. name of two places in modern Henan
  3. a surname

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 向 – see 嚮 (“to turn toward; to approach; toward; facing; against; etc.”).
(This character is the simplified and ancient form of 嚮).
Notes:

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 向 – see 曏 (“in the near past; in the past; formerly; facing; against; etc.”).
(This character is the simplified form of 曏).
Notes:

Japanese

Kanji

向

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. yonder
  2. facing

Readings

Compounds

Proper noun

向(むかい) • (Mukai) ←むかひ (Mukafi)?

  1. a surname

Korean

Etymology 1

Hanja

向 (eumhun 향할 향 (hyanghal hyang))

  1. hanja form? of 향 (“facing”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

向 (eumhun 성 상 (seong sang))

  1. hanja form? of 상 (“a surname.”)

Vietnamese

Han character

向: Hán Nôm readings: hướng

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