文化

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Chinese

language; culture; writing
language; culture; writing; formal; literary; gentle
 
to make into; to change into; ‑ization
to make into; to change into; ‑ization; to ... ‑ize; to transform
 
trad. (文化)
simp. #(文化)
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Etymology

The modern Chinese term is an Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 文化(ぶんか) (bunka, culture), which is a direct translation of the German word Kultur. [1]

In its classical form, the term can be interpreted as 文教 (wénjiào, humanistic education) + 化育 (huàyù, transformational development). Often cited are the following examples:

先秦, 周易·賁卦彖傳》:
觀於天文、以察時變、觀乎人文、以成天下
We observe the patterns of the skies in order to inspect seasonal changes. We observe the patterns of human behavior in order to transform and actualize all under Heaven.
南朝劉宋, 范曄, 後漢書·荀淑傳》:
文教以章其、立武備以秉其威。
Spread humanistic education in order to manifest its transformative potential. Establish military capabilities in order to have a grasp on (its) power.

Humanistic education, based on the tradition of rites and propriety 禮教礼教 (lǐjiào) have the transformative potential to actualize all under Heaven 人文化成. This is often juxtaposed or contrasted with the use of punishment (xíng) or military might () to establish power and control over a populace, as can be seen in the quote below:

南北朝, 齊王融, 〈從武帝琅邪城講武應詔詩〉, quoted in 藝文類聚》卷五十九 ,武部,戰伐:
早逢文化洽,復屬武功宣
Having reached an ideal state of (governance by the means of) transformative education at an early stage, we can now focus on the establishment of military power (in the region).

文化 over here is synonymous with 文治 (wénzhì, governance by means of culture, education, rites and music). This is not the same as culture in the modern sense of the term.

It is within this classical context that the Japanese first coined the term 文化(ぶんか) (bunka) to name an era during the Edo period.

When used to translate Kultur during the Meiji restoration, 文化(ぶんか) (bunka) is possibly a contraction of 文明開化(ぶんめいかいか) (bunmeikaika, to open up and transform through civilization),[2] which takes the meaning of a civilizing agent i.e. Culture.

Pronunciation



Rime
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial () (4) (32)
Final () (59) (99)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Closed Closed
Division () III II
Fanqie
Baxter mjun xwaeH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/mɨun/ /hˠuaH/
Pan
Wuyun
/miun/ /hʷᵚaH/
Shao
Rongfen
/miuən/ /xuaH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/mun/ /hwaɨH/
Li
Rong
/miuən/ /xuaH/
Wang
Li
/mĭuən/ /xwaH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/mi̯uən/ /xwaH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
wén huà
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
man4 faa3
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
wén huà
Middle
Chinese
‹ mjun › ‹ xwæH ›
Old
Chinese
/*mə/ /*qʷʰˁ<r>aj-s/
English ornate transform

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
Reading # 1/1 1/1
No. 13015 5327
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1 1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*mɯn/ /*hŋʷraːls/

Noun

文化

  1. (countable, uncountable) culture (Classifier: ; )
    文化體系文化体系  ―  wénhuà tǐxì  ―  cultural system
    文化環境文化环境  ―  wénhuà huánjìng  ―  cultural context
    中華文化中华文化  ―  zhōnghuá wénhuà  ―  Chinese culture
    公司文化  ―  gōngsī wénhuà  ―  company culture
    本土文化  ―  běntǔ wénhuà  ―  indigenous culture
    燦爛文化灿烂文化  ―  cànlàn wénhuà  ―  magnificent culture
    文化負載詞文化负载词  ―  wénhuà fùzǎicí  ―  culturally loaded term
    國家級文化生態保護區 [MSC, trad.]
    国家级文化生态保护区 [MSC, simp.]
    guójiājí wénhuà shēngtài bǎohùqū
    national ecocultural protection area
    開展對外文化交流 [MSC, trad.]
    开展对外文化交流 [MSC, simp.]
    kāizhǎn duìwài wénhuà jiāoliú
    to conduct cultural exchange with other countries
    不同國家不同文化 [MSC, trad.]
    不同国家不同文化 [MSC, simp.]
    Bùtóng de guójiā yǒu bùtóng de wénhuà.
    Different countries have different cultures.
  2. (uncountable) education; literacy
  3. (archaeology, countable) archaeological culture (recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place that may constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society)
    龍山文化龙山文化  ―  Lóngshān Wénhuà  ―  the Longshan culture
  4. (literary, archaic, uncountable) education through teaching morality, literature and music

Usage notes

Like the term "culture" in English, 文化 (wénhuà) can refer to both culture in the sense of a society's arts or customs, as well the attitudes and behaviours of a particular group of people, as in a "company culture". However, 文化 (wénhuà) cannot refer to "culture" in the biological sense; instead the term 培養物培养物 is used. The verb 培養培养 (péiyǎng) is to cultivate.

Derived terms

Proper noun

文化

  1. () An urban village in Tamsui district, New Taipei, Taiwan
  2. (社區) Wenhua (a residential community of Ruoqiang, Ruoqiang, Bayingolin prefecture, Xinjiang, China)

References

  1. ^ 日本国語大辞典 Nihonkokugodaijiten, bunka entry, glossary. https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96-128305
  2. ^ ibid.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
ぶん
Grade: 1

Grade: 3
kan'on

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Middle Chinese 文化 (mjun xwæH, the way of educating by using morality, literature, rituals and music), repurposed during the Meiji period as a translation of German Kultur.[1]

Cited with the culture sense starting from roughly 1870.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

 文化 on Japanese Wikipedia

(ぶん)() (bunkaぶんくわ (bunkwa)?

  1. culture
    • 1928, 岸田國士, 「語られる言葉」の美:
      これは、国語(こくご)性格(せいかく)に、文化(ぶんか)伝統(でんとう)国民性(こくみんせい)特質(とくしつ)作用(さよう)するからである。
      Kore wa, kokugo no seikaku ni, bunka no dentō, kokuminsei no tokushitsu ga sayō suru kara de aru.
      The tradition of culture and the traits of the nation function to make the character of the national language.

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Chinese: 文化 (wénhuà)[2]
  • Korean: 문화 (munhwa)
  • Vietnamese: văn hoá

Proper noun

 文化 (元号) on Japanese Wikipedia
 Bunka on Wikipedia

(ぶん)() (Bunka

  1. The Bunka era, 1804-1818

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 文化”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ 汉语外来词词典 [Chinese Loanword Dictionary] (in Chinese), 1984, page 358

Korean

Hanja in this term

Noun

文化 (munhwa) (hangeul 문화)

  1. hanja form? of 문화 (culture)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term

Noun

文化

  1. chữ Hán form of văn hoá (culture).