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聖. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
聖, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
聖 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
聖 you have here. The definition of the word
聖 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
聖, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Translingual
Han character
聖 (Kangxi radical 128, 耳+7, 13 strokes, cangjie input 尸口竹土 (SRHG), four-corner 16104, composition ⿱𦔻𡈼)
Derived characters
- 𠏄, 𪢎, 𡢨, 𪬮, 𢶫, 𬉊, 𨼳, 𬂒, 檉, 𱵭, 蟶, 𧬼, 𰋍, 𨭰, 𰕖, 𮑞
References
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 967, character 22
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29074
- Dae Jaweon: page 1415, character 28
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2789, character 6
- Unihan data for U+8056
Chinese
Glyph origin
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Old Chinese
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檉
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*l̥ʰeŋ
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蟶
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*l̥ʰeŋ
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聖
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*hljeŋs
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聽
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*l̥ʰeːŋ, *l̥ʰeːŋs
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廳
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*l̥ʰeːŋ
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Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *hljeŋs) : semantic 耳 (“ear”) + phonetic 呈 (OC *rleŋ, *l'eŋs). Compare 聽.
Etymology
Likely related to 聽 (OC *l̥ʰeːŋ, “to hear; to listen”), 聲 (OC *qʰjeŋ, “sound”) (Boltz, 1994). If derived directly from 聲 (OC *qʰjeŋ, “sound”), it would literally mean “to be renowned; someone who is renowned” (Schuessler, 2007).
Pronunciation
Note:
- séng - literary;
- siáng - vernacular (“propitious; efficacious”).
Note:
- sèng - literary;
- siàⁿ - vernacular.
Note: sêng3 - only used in
聖杯 and
聖珓.
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
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Character
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聖
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Reading #
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1/1
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Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
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shèng
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Middle Chinese
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‹ syengH ›
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Old Chinese
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/*l̥eŋ-s/
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English
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sage (n.)
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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.
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Zhengzhang system (2003)
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Character
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聖
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Reading #
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1/1
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No.
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11391
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Phonetic component
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聖
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Rime group
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耕
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Rime subdivision
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0
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Corresponding MC rime
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聖
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Old Chinese
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/*hljeŋs/
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Notes
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甲金文象人張耳對口會耳聰意, 非呈聲
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Definitions
聖
- noble
- holy; sacred
- saint; sage
具曰:「予聖!」誰知烏之雌雄? [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
具曰:「予圣!」谁知乌之雌雄? [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Jù yuē: “Yú shèng!” Shéi zhī wū zhī cíxióng?
- They all say: "I am a sage!" Yet who knows which crow is male or female?
惟聖罔念作狂,惟狂克念作聖。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
惟圣罔念作狂,惟狂克念作圣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: The Book of Documents, circa 7th – 4th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Wéi shèng wǎng niàn zuò kuáng, wéi kuáng kè niàn zuò shèng.
- The sages, through not thinking, become fools, and the fools, by thinking, become sages.
我寫信給你們在羅馬、為神所愛、奉召作聖徒的眾人。願恩惠、平安從我們的父神並主耶穌基督歸與你們! [MSC, trad.]
我写信给你们在罗马、为神所爱、奉召作圣徒的众人。愿恩惠、平安从我们的父神并主耶稣基督归与你们! [MSC, simp.]- From: 和合本 (Héhéběn) (Chinese Union Version), 《羅馬書》 Romans 1:7, late 55 to early 57 CE.
- Wǒ xiě xìn gěi nǐmen zài Luómǎ, wéi Shén suǒ'ài, fèngzhào zuò shèngtú de zhòngrén. Yuàn ēnhuì, píng'ān cóng wǒmen de fù Shén bìng zhǔ Yēsū Jīdū guī yǔ nǐmen!
- To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- (specifically) Confucius
- master; professional
- emperor; king
- (honorific) form of address for the respected
- (Eastern Min) propitious; efficacious; favouring; (of a god) able to protect
Compounds
References
Japanese
Kanji
聖
(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)
- holy, sacred
Readings
Compounds
Etymology 1
Compound of 日 (hi, “day, light, the sun”) + 知り (shiri, “knowing”). The shiri changes to jiri due to rendaku (連濁).
Noun
聖 • (hijiri)
- a very virtuous or godly person; a saint
- (honorific) the emperor
- a sage
- an expert; someone distinguished in their field
- a virtuous or high-ranking Buddhist priest or monk
- a Buddhist priest or monk in general
- a monk who has gone into seclusion for purposes of asceticism and spiritual enlightenment
- a monk who has adopted an itinerant lifestyle for purposes of asceticism and spiritual enlightenment, supporting themselves by gathering alms and food contributions; by extension, an itinerant preacher monk from Mount Kōya
- (euphemistic) Synonym of 清酒 (seishu, “refined sake”)
- a textile peddler (from the resemblance to itinerant 高野聖 (Kōya hijiri) Buddhist preachers who would carry everything on their backs)
Synonyms
Etymology 2
From Middle Chinese 聖 (MC syengH).
Adjective
聖 • (sei) †-nari
- holy, sacred
Noun
聖 • (sei)
- a saint; a holy person
- holiness, sacredness
- (euphemistic) alternate name for 清酒 (seishu, “refined sake”)
Affix
聖 • (sei)
- (Brazil) Short for 聖州 (“São Paulo (a state of Brazil)”). or Short for 聖市 (“São Paulo (a municipality, the state capital of São Paulo, Brazil)”).
Etymology 3
Phono-semantic matching of English saint, from Latin sanctus.
Prefix
聖 • (sei-)
- (Catholicism) prefix added to the names of saints
Etymology 4
Jukujikun.
Proper noun
聖 • (Takashi)
- a male given name
Etymology 5
Jukujikun.
Proper noun
聖 • (Satoshi)
- a male given name
References
- ^ Shōundō Henshūjo, editor (1927), 新漢和辞典 [The New Kanji-Japanese Dictionary] (in Japanese), Ōsaka: Shōundō, →DOI, page 980 (paper), page 503 (digital)
- ^ Haga, Gōtarō (1914) 漢和大辞書 [The Great Kanji-Japanese Dictionary] (in Japanese), Fourth edition, Tōkyō: Kōbunsha, →DOI, page 1731 (paper), page 917 (digital)
Korean
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)
Pronunciation
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key):
- Phonetic hangul:
- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
Hanja
Wikisource
聖 (eumhun 성스러울 성 (seongseureoul seong))
- hanja form? of 성 (“holy, saint, sacred”)
Compounds
Vietnamese
Han character
聖: Hán Việt readings: thánh
聖: Nôm readings: thánh, thiêng
Adjective
聖
- chữ Hán form of thánh (“holy, saint, sacred”).
Noun
聖
- chữ Hán form of thánh (“saint”).
References