特

Stroke order

特 (Kangxi radical 93, 牛+6, 10 strokes, cangjie input 竹手土木戈 (HQGDI), four-corner 2454₁, composition ⿰牛寺)

• 𭉪, 𬌣, 𬃿, 𧎬

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 700, character 20
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 20013
• Dae Jaweon: page 1113, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1808, character 11
• Unihan data for U+7279

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *dɯːɡ) : semantic 牛 (“ox”) + phonetic 寺 (OC *ljɯs) – large bull.

There seem to be two main semantic fields: "bull" and "single; unique". It is unclear whether these two fields are related. Schuessler (2007) suggests a possible derivation of "bull" from "match", but "bull" seems to be the earlier sense. The "single; unique" sense could be an extension of "bull" due to its largeness (Li Xueqin, 2012).

In the "bull" sense, it is related to 犆 (OC *dɯɡ, “ox”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Wang (1982) relates the "three-year-animal" sense to 犢 (OC *l'oːɡ, “calf”); see there for more.

In the "single" sense, it is related to 直 (OC *dɯɡ, “simply; only”), 職 (OC *tjɯɡ, “simply; only”) (Schuessler, 2007). Wang (1982) relates it to 徒 (OC *l'aː) and 但 (OC *daːnʔ) in the "only" sense, as well as 獨 (OC *doːɡ, “single”) in the "single" sense, but see these entries for more.

特

1. ^† bull; ox

   • 歸，假于祖禰，用特。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     归，假于祖祢，用特。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Guī, jiǎ yú zǔ mí, yòng tè.

     (When all was done), he returned (to the capital), repaired (to the ancestral temple) and offered a bull.

2. ^† cattle
3. ^† (of animals, especially bull) male
4. ^† one domestic animal
5. ^† three-year-old animal

   • 不狩不獵，胡瞻爾庭有縣特兮。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     不狩不猎，胡瞻尔庭有县特兮。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Bù shòu bù liè, hú zhān ěr tíng yǒu xuán tè xī.

     You do not follow the chase;
     How do we see those three-year-olds hanging in your court-yards?

6. (literary) single; alone; by oneself
7. ^† match; mate; spouse

   • 髧彼兩髦，實維我特。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     髧彼两髦，实维我特。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Dàn bǐ liǎng máo, shí wéi wǒ tè.

     With his two tufts of hair falling over his forehead,
     He was my only one.

8. ^† to stand tall
9. special; unique; distinguished
10. (literary) only; just
11. specially; intentionally
12. (colloquial) especially; outstandingly

    今天天氣特熱。／今天天气特热。  ―  Jīntiān tiānqì tè rè.  ―  It's especially hot today.

13. ^† in vain
14. ^† unexpectedly; yet
15. Short for 特務／特务 (tèwù, “special agent; spy”).
16. (Mainland China) Short for 特克斯 (tèkèsī, “tex”).
17. a surname

• → Bouyei: dag (“male (of animals); classifier for male animals”)
• → Proto-Southwestern Tai: *tʰɤkᴰ (“young male animal”)
  • Thai: ถึก (tʉ̀k, “young ox; male water buffalo”)
  • Lao: ເຖິກ (thœk, “male (of animals)”)
• → Proto-Vietic: *dək (“male”)
  • Vietnamese: đực (“male (of animal); bull”)
• → Zhuang: daeg (“male (of animals); classifier for young males”)

• “特”, 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–

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. ox, bull
2. special, exceptional, extraordinary
3. especially

• Go-on: どく (doku)
• Kan-on: とく (toku, Jōyō)
• Kun: おうし (ōshi, 特)、ひとり (hitori, 特り)、ことに (kotoni, 特に)、ことなる (kotonaru, 特なる)

• 特異(とくい) (tokui)
• 特効薬(とっこうやく) (tokkōyaku)
• 特撮(とくさつ) (tokusatsu)
• 特殊(とくしゅ) (tokushu)
• 特捜(とくそう) (tokusō)
• 特定(とくてい) (tokutei)
• 特別(とくべつ) (tokubetsu)
• 特防(とくぼう) (tokubō)
• 特務(とくむ) (tokumu)
• 独特(どくとく) (dokutoku)

From Middle Chinese 特 (MC dok, “special; male livestock”).

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

特

Wikisource

特 (eumhun 특별할 특 (teukbyeolhal teuk))
特 (eumhun 수컷 특 (sukeot teuk))

1. (used in compounds) hanja form^? of 특 (“special; exceptional”)
2. (literary) hanja form^? of 특 (“male animal”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

特: Hán Nôm readings: đặc, đực, đước, được, sệt

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