自然

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Chinese

from; self; oneself
from; self; oneself; since
 
so; thus; like this
so; thus; like this; ‑ly; correct; right
 
trad. (自然) 自 然
simp. #(自然) 自 然

Etymology

Attested earliest in the Tao Te Ching:

Pronunciation

Note: zìran - only when meaning "at ease".
Rime
Character 自 然
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial (聲) 從 (15) 日 (38)
Final (韻) 脂 (15) 仙 (77)
Tone (調) Departing (H) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) III III
Fanqie 疾二切 如延切
Baxter dzijH nyen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/d͡ziɪH/ /ȵiᴇn/
Pan
Wuyun 		/d͡ziH/ /ȵiɛn/
Shao
Rongfen 		/d͡zjɪH/ /ȵʑjæn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/d͡ziH/ /ȵian/
Li
Rong 		/d͡ziH/ /ȵiɛn/
Wang
Li 		/d͡ziH/ /ȵʑĭɛn/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/d͡zʱiH/ /ȵʑi̯ɛn/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		zì rán
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		zi6 jin4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 自 然
Reading # 1/2 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		zì rán
Middle
Chinese 		‹ dzijH › ‹ nyen ›
Old
Chinese 		/*s.i-s/ /*a/
English self (adv.) so, thus; (adv suffix)

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 自 然
Reading # 1/1 1/1
No. 17879 10756
Phonetic
component 		自 肰
Rime
group 		至 元
Rime
subdivision 		1 2
Corresponding
MC rime 		自 然
Old
Chinese 		/*ɦljids/ /*njen/

Noun

自然

  1. nature; the natural world
    愛護自然／爱护自然  ―  àihù zìrán  ―  to cherish nature
    親近自然／亲近自然  ―  qīnjìn zìrán  ―  to get close to nature

Synonyms

Adjective

自然

  1. natural; of or relating to nature
    自然美麗／自然美丽  ―  zìrán měilì  ―  natural beauty
  2. natural; at ease; without strain

Usage notes

To describe things literally produced by nature, use the attributive 天然 (tiānrán) instead.

Synonyms

Adverb

自然

  1. naturally; in a natural manner
  2. naturally; of course; as a matter of course

Synonyms

Conjunction

自然

  1. admittedly

Derived terms

Japanese

Kanji in this term
自 然
し
Grade: 2 		ぜん
Grade: 4
kan'on

Pronunciation

Adjective

自(し)然(ぜん) • (shizen) -na (adnominal 自(し)然(ぜん)な (shizen na), adverbial 自(し)然(ぜん)に (shizen ni))

  1. natural
  2. spontaneous

Inflection

Inflection of 自然
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 自然だろ しぜんだろ shizen daro
Continuative (連用形) 自然で しぜんで shizen de
Terminal (終止形) 自然だ しぜんだ shizen da
Attributive (連体形) 自然な しぜんな shizen na
Hypothetical (仮定形) 自然なら しぜんなら shizen nara
Imperative (命令形) 自然であれ しぜんであれ shizen de are
Key constructions
Informal negative 自然ではない
自然じゃない 		しぜんではない
しぜんじゃない 		shizen de wa nai
shizen ja nai
Informal past 自然だった しぜんだった shizen datta
Informal negative past 自然ではなかった
自然じゃなかった 		しぜんではなかった
しぜんじゃなかった 		shizen de wa nakatta
shizen ja nakatta
Formal 自然です しぜんです shizen desu
Formal negative 自然ではありません
自然じゃありません 		しぜんではありません
しぜんじゃありません 		shizen de wa arimasen
shizen ja arimasen
Formal past 自然でした しぜんでした shizen deshita
Formal negative past 自然ではありませんでした
自然じゃありませんでした 		しぜんではありませんでした
しぜんじゃありませんでした 		shizen de wa arimasen deshita
shizen ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive 自然で しぜんで shizen de
Conditional 自然なら（ば） しぜんなら（ば） shizen nara (ba)
Provisional 自然だったら しぜんだったら shizen dattara
Volitional 自然だろう しぜんだろう shizen darō
Adverbial 自然に しぜんに shizen ni
Degree 自然さ しぜんさ shizensa

Adverb

自(し)然(ぜん) • (shizen) 

  1. naturally
  2. spontaneously
  3. rarely
  4. coincidentally

Noun

自(し)然(ぜん) • (shizen) 

  1. nature
    • 2016 April 23, “重(じゅう)力(りょく)の変(へん)容(よう) [Gravitational Shift]”, in エルドラージ覚醒 [Eldrazi Awakening], Wizards of the Coast:
      エルドラージは目(め)覚(ざ)めると、ゼンディカーの自(し)然(ぜん)の勢(せい)力(りょく)全(すべ)てに対(たい)して己(おのれ)の支(し)配(はい)を再(ひたた)び知(し)らしめようとした。
      Erudorāji wa mezameru to, Zendikā no shizen no seiryoku subete ni taishite onore no shihai o hitatabi shirashimeyō to shita.
      As they awakened, the Eldrazi reasserted their mastery over all of Zendikar’s natural forces.
  2. spontaneity

See also

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Korean

Hanja in this term
自然

Noun

自然 • (jayeon) (hangeul 자연)

  1. hanja form? of 자연 (“nature”)

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
自 然
Grade: 2 Grade: 4

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 自然 (shizen).

Noun

自然(しじん) (shijin) 

  1. nature

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
自然

Noun

自然

  1. chữ Hán form of tự nhiên (“nature”).

Adjective

自然

  1. chữ Hán form of tự nhiên (“natural”).

Adverb

自然

  1. chữ Hán form of tự nhiên (“naturally”).
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