兕

兕 U+5155, 兕 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5155 ← 兔 [U+5154] CJK Unified Ideographs 兖 → [U+5156]

Translingual

Han character

兕 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿+6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 尸尸山山 (SSUU) or 尸山竹山 (SUHU), four-corner 7721₇, composition ⿱凹儿)

Derived characters

• 𧣶

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 125, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1369
• Dae Jaweon: page 265, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 270, character 3
• Unihan data for U+5155

Chinese

simp. and trad.		兕
alternative forms		𧣶 𠒅 咒 𠙃 𠒊 𧣶 𠒅 咒 𠙃 𠒊 𠒃 𧤄 𩸟 𤉡 𧰽 𧱃 雉

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 兕
Oracle bone script j21990 j21991 j21992 j21993 j21994 j21995 j21996 j21997 j21998 j21999 j22000 j22001 j22002 j22003 j22004 j22005 j22006 j22007 j22008 j22009 j22010 j22011 j22012 j22013 j22014 j22015 j22016 j22017 j22018 j22019 j22020 j22021 j22022 j22023 j22024 j22025 j22026 j22027 j22028 j22029 j22030 j22031 j22032 j22033 j22034 j22035 j22036 j22037 j22038 Small seal script s06952 s06953 Transcribed ancient scripts L13805 L13806 L13807 L13808 L13809 L13810 L13811 L13812
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Pictogram (象形) of bovine-like animal.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sì (si⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sì
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìh
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴
    • Yale: sz̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syh
    • Palladius: сы (sy)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zi⁶
    • Yale: jih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²²/

---

• Middle Chinese: zijX

Rime
Character	兕
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	邪 (17)
Final (韻)	脂 (17)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	徐姊切
Baxter	zijX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/zˠiɪX/
Pan Wuyun	/zᵚiX/
Shao Rongfen	/ziɪX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/zjiX/
Li Rong	/zjiX/
Wang Li	/ziX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ziX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s.ɢ]ijʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ljiʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	兕
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì
Middle Chinese	‹ zijX ›
Old Chinese	/*[s.ɢ]ijʔ/
English	rhinoceros (or water buffalo?)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] 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	兕
Reading #	1/1
No.	12057
Phonetic component	兕
Rime group	脂
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	兕
Old Chinese	/*ljiʔ/

Definitions

兕

1. a kind of bovine-like animal; traditionally often thought of as a female rhinoceros (Bencao Gangmu); modern research suggests it probably originally referred to wild water buffalo (Schuessler, 2007).

   • 丙子卜：王獲。允獲兕一。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     丙子卜：王获。允获兕一。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Oracle bone from the reign of Wu Ding, thirteenth century B.C.E., quoted and translated in Working for His Majesty: Research Notes on Labor Mobilization in Late Shang China (ca. 1200–1045 B.C.) by David N. Keightley

     Bǐngzǐ bǔ: wáng huò. Yǔn huò sì yī. [Pinyin]

     Crack-making on bingzi [day]: "His Majesty will catch [game]." [Verification:] He really did catch wild buffalo, one.

   • 虎兕出於柙，龜玉毀於櫝中，是誰之過與？ [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     虎兕出于柙，龟玉毁于椟中，是谁之过与？ [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Hǔ sì chū yú xiá, guī yù huǐ yú dúzhōng, shì shéi zhī guò yǔ? [Pinyin]

     When a tiger or rhinoceros^[sic] escapes from his cage; when a tortoise or piece of jade is injured in its repository - whose is the fault?

   • 不然，巴浦之犀、犛、兕、象，其可盡乎，其又以規為瑱也？ [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     不然，巴浦之犀、牦、兕、象，其可尽乎，其又以规为瑱也？ [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Guoyu, circa 4^th century BCE

     Bùrán, Bā Pǔ zhī xī, máo/lí, sì, xiàng, qí kě jìn hū, qí yòu yǐ guī wéi tiàn yě? [Pinyin]

     Otherwise, it is because rhinoceros, yaks, wild bovids and elephants in Ba and Pu have become extinct, and for this reason you use my recommendations as earplugs (which are made from the bones of these exotic animals)?

Compounds

• 兕中
• 兕觥
• 虎兕出柙
• 隨兕 / 随兕

Further reading

• Lander, B.; Brunson, K. (2018), “Wild mammals of ancient North China”, in Journal of Chinese History (中國歷史學刊), volume 2, number 2, pages 291-312
• Fiskesjö, Magnus (2001), “Rising from blood-stained fields: royal hunting and state formation in Shang China”, in Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, volume 73, page 95 of 49-119
• Fiskesjö, Magnus (2001), “Rising from blood-stained fields: royal hunting and state formation in Shang China”, in Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, volume 73, page 124-125 of 120-191

Japanese

Kanji

兕

(Hyōgai kanji)

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Readings

• On (unclassified): し (shi)、じ (ji)

Korean

Hanja

兕 (eum 시 (si))

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Vietnamese

Han character

兕: Hán Nôm readings: tỉ

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