永

See also: 氷

永 U+6C38, 永 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6C38 ← 氷 [U+6C37] CJK Unified Ideographs 氹 → [U+6C39]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

See images of 永
(radical 85 + 1)

Han character

永 (Kangxi radical 85, 水+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 戈弓水 (INE), four-corner 3023₂, composition ⿱丶⿲㇇𠃌⿺㇏丿)

Derived characters

• 咏, 怺, 泳, 昹, 栐, 脉, 眿, 䘑, 詠(𰵞), 昶, 㫤, 羕

Additional Derived Characters

• 𠇟, 𫥆, 𪣉, 𡛻, 𢫕, 𬨣, 𪸠, 𤤯, 𰳶, 𬗊, 𦕟, 𦨬, 𮶽, 𠶇, 𮛕, 𮝊, 𨠕, 𱗓, 𱧇, 𨥭(𮸃), 𩊍, 𩖻, 𩈗, 𲋶, 𦘢, 𩶙, 𫴇
• 𣴏, 𰀺, 𢒋, 𣲈, 𠰦, 𪵵, 𬐔, 𦨤, 𧠧, 𬇾, 𦨺, 𬱁, 𭯼, 𧵕, 𰁯, 𦭔, 𣼁, 𬱄, 𰜋, 𢺫, 𣉣, 𪢓, 𧏔, 𤪉, 𮶭

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 603, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17088
• Dae Jaweon: page 996, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1546, character 3
• Unihan data for U+6C38

Chinese

simp. and trad.		永
alternative forms		𱍐

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 永
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (永) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
永	*ɢʷraŋʔ
栐	*ɢʷraŋʔ
泳	*ɢʷraŋs
詠	*ɢʷraŋs
咏	*ɢʷraŋs

Pictogram (象形) of a long river with tributaries. Cognate with 𠂢, 派.

Alternatively, pictogram (象形) of a person swimming in the water. Original form of 泳 (OC *ɢʷraŋs).

Etymology

Uncertain.

• STEDT compares 永 (OC *ɢʷraŋʔ) to provisional Proto-Lolo-Burmese meso-root *ʔ-m(y)aŋ¹/³;
• Bodman (1980) derived 永 (OC *ɢʷraŋʔ) from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *wrjaŋ & considered it cognate with Lepcha ᰝᰥᰤᰰ (hryăn) as well as Tibetan རྒྱོང་བ (rgyong ba, “to extend; to stretch”) and རྒྱང་མ (rgyang ma, “distance”);
• Schuessler (2007) considered to be unclear any connection with 泂 (OC *ɡʷeːŋʔ) and Tibetan རིང (ring, “to be tall, long”), Western Tamang rehng pā (“to be long”), Burmese ရှည် (hrany, “to be long”), (all from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-r(i/u)ŋ (“to be long, to elongate”)) & Proto-Loloish *s/m-riŋ (“long (adv.)”); so Schuessler compared 永 (OC *ɢʷraŋʔ) to Khmer វែង (vɛɛng, “long”) and Khmer បង្វែង (bɑngvaeng, “to prolong, divert, mislead, deceive”) (both from Proto-Mon-Khmer *waiŋ (“long”)).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): yǒng (yong³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄩㄥˇ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): yun³

  (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): yòng

  (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): yǒn

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): йүн (yün, II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wing⁵

  (Dongguan, Jyutping++): weang⁵

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): ven⁴

• Gan (Wiktionary): yn³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): yún

  (Hailu, HRS): rhun^ˊ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): yun³

• Jin (Wiktionary): yng²
• Northern Min (KCR): ě̤ng
• Eastern Min (BUC): īng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): yng³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): éng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): iong² / uêng²

  (Leizhou, Leizhou Pinyin): iong²

• Southern Pinghua (Nanning, Jyutping++): wang⁵
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵ion / ³ion / ³iun
  • (Jinhua): ³iun
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): yn³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yǒng
    • Zhuyin: ㄩㄥˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yǒng
    • Wade–Giles: yung³
    • Yale: yǔng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeong
    • Palladius: юн (jun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jʊŋ²¹⁴/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: yun³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: wen
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yn⁵³/
  • (Xi'an)
    • Guanzhong Pinyin: yòng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yoŋ⁵³/
  • (Nanjing)
    • Nanjing Pinyin: yǒn
    • Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): yon³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ioŋ¹¹/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: йүн (yün, II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yŋ⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: wing⁵
    • Yale: wíhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wing⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: wing⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɪŋ¹³/
  • (Dongguan, Guancheng)
    • Jyutping++: weang⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /vəŋ¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: ven⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ven²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: yn³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yn²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yún
    • Hakka Romanization System: iun^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yun³
    • Sinological IPA: /i̯un³¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yún
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)iun^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yun³
    • Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯un³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: yun³
    • Sinological IPA: /iun³¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: rhun^ˊ
    • Sinological IPA: /ʒun²⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: yng²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /yŋ⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ě̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /œyŋ²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: īng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ³³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: yng³
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: ṳ̂ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yŋ⁴⁵³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: yng³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yŋ³³²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: éng
    • Tâi-lô: íng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: eang
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /iɪŋ⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /iɪŋ⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /iɪŋ⁴¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: iong² / uêng²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ióng / uéng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ioŋ⁵²/, /ueŋ⁵²/

Note: uêng2 - Jieyang.

• • (Leizhou)
    • Leizhou Pinyin: iong²
    • Sinological IPA: /iɔŋ³¹/
• Southern Pinghua
  • (Nanning Pinghua, Tingzi)
    • Jyutping++: wang⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /βəŋ²⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵ion
    • MiniDict: ion^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²ion
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ioŋ³⁴/
  • (Northern: Jiading, Songjiang, Chongming, Suzhou, Kunshan, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan)
    • Wugniu: ³ion
    • MiniDict: ion^上
    • Sinological IPA (Jiading): /ioŋ³⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Songjiang): /ioŋ⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Chongming): /ʔyoŋ⁴²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ioŋ⁵¹/
    • Sinological IPA (Kunshan): /ioŋ⁵²/
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /ioŋ⁴³³/
    • Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /ioŋ⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Shaoxing): /ioŋ³³⁵/
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /yoŋ³²⁵/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhoushan): /yoŋ³⁵/
  • (Northern: Changzhou)
    • Wugniu: ³iun
    • MiniDict: iuin^上
    • Sinological IPA (Changzhou): /yiŋ⁴⁵/
  • (Jinhua)
    • Wugniu: ³iun
    • Sinological IPA (Jinhua): /yəŋ⁵³⁵/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: yn³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /yn⁴¹/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 永
Mandarin	Beijing	/yŋ²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/yŋ²¹³/
	Tianjin	/ʐuŋ¹³/ /yŋ¹³/
	Jinan	/yŋ⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/iŋ⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/yuŋ⁵³/
	Xi'an	/yŋ⁵³/
	Xining	/yə̃⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/yŋ⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ỹn⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/yŋ⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/yn⁴²/
	Chengdu	/yn⁵³/
	Guiyang	/in⁴²/
	Kunming	/ioŋ⁵³/
	Nanjing	/ioŋ²¹²/
	Hefei	/yn²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/yəŋ⁵³/
	Pingyao	/yŋ⁵³/ /y⁵³/ ～城村
	Hohhot	/ỹŋ⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/ioŋ³⁵/
	Suzhou	/ioŋ⁵¹/
	Hangzhou	/ʔioŋ⁵³/
	Wenzhou	/j̠oŋ³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/yʌ̃³⁵/
	Tunxi	/yan²⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/yn⁴¹/
	Xiangtan	/yn⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/yn²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/iun³¹/
	Taoyuan	/ʒuŋ³¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/weŋ²³/
	Nanning	/weŋ²⁴/
	Hong Kong	/wiŋ¹³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/iŋ⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/iŋ³²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/œyŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/ioŋ⁵³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/zoŋ²¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: hjwaengX

Rime
Character	永
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	庚 (112)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于憬切
Baxter	hjwaengX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠwiæŋX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷᵚiaŋX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuaŋX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwiajŋX/
Li Rong	/ɣiuɐŋX/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwɐŋX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/i̯wɐŋX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yǒng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wing5

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷraŋʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷraŋʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	永
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yǒng
Middle Chinese	‹ hjwængX ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɢ]ʷraŋʔ/
English	long (time)
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	永
Reading #	1/1
No.	15423
Phonetic component	永
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	永
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷraŋʔ/

Definitions

永

1. perpetual; eternal; permanent; forever

   • 貞：今日王永。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     贞：今日王永。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 合27827

     Zhēn: jīnrì wáng yǒng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 投我以木李、報之以瓊玖。匪報也、永以為好也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     投我以木李、报之以琼玖。匪报也、永以为好也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Tóu wǒ yǐ mùlǐ, bào zhī yǐ qióngjiǔ. Fěi bào yě, yǒng yǐ wèi hǎo yě. [Pinyin]

     There was presented to me a plum, and I returned for it a beautiful jiu gem; not as a return for it, but that our friendship might be lasting.

2. long (space or time)

   • 漢之廣矣、不可泳思。江之永矣、不可方思。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     汉之广矣、不可泳思。江之永矣、不可方思。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Hàn zhī guǎng yǐ, bùkě yǒng sī. Jiāng zhī yǒng yǐ, bùkě fāng sī. [Pinyin]

     The breath of the Han [river] cannot be dived across; the length of the Jiang [river] cannot be navigated with a raft.

3. to prolong; to lengthen

   • 皎皎白駒、食我場苗。縶之維之、以永今朝。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     皎皎白驹、食我场苗。絷之维之、以永今朝。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Jiǎojiǎo báijū, shí wǒ chǎng miáo. Zhí zhī wéi zhī, yǐ yǒng jīnzhāo. [Pinyin]

     Let the brilliant white colt feed on the young growth of my vegetable garden. Tether it by the foot, tie it by the collar, to prolong this morning.

4. 53rd tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "eternity" (𝌺)
5. a surname

Compounds

• 一勞永逸 / 一劳永逸 (yīláoyǒngyì)
• 天人永隔
• 教澤永懷 / 教泽永怀
• 智永
• 暫勞永逸 / 暂劳永逸
• 更長漏永 / 更长漏永
• 永不磨滅 / 永不磨灭 (yǒngbùmómiè)
• 永不錄用 / 永不录用
• 永世 (yǒngshì)
• 永世無窮 / 永世无穷
• 永久 (yǒngjiǔ)
• 永久磁鐵 / 永久磁铁
• 永久齒 / 永久齿
• 永佃權 / 永佃权
• 永保無虞 / 永保无虞
• 永傳不朽 / 永传不朽
• 永別 / 永别 (yǒngbié)
• 永別酒 / 永别酒
• 永劫 (yǒngjié)
• 永吉 (Yǒngjí)
• 永和 (Yǒnghé)
• 永命
• 永嘉 (Yǒngjiā)
• 永嘉之亂 / 永嘉之乱 (Yǒngjiā Zhī Luàn)
• 永垂不朽 (yǒngchuíbùxiǔ)
• 永夕
• 永夜
• 永存 (yǒngcún)
• 永存不朽
• 永字八法 (yǒng zì bā fǎ)
• 永安 (Yǒng'ān)
• 永安宮 / 永安宫 (Yǒng'āngōng)
• 永定河 (Yǒngdìng Hé)
• 永州八記 / 永州八记
• 永巷
• 永年 (yǒngnián)
• 永康 (Yǒngkāng)
• 永恆 / 永恒 (yǒnghéng)
• 永慕
• 永日
• 永昌 (yǒngchāng)
• 永明體 / 永明体
• 永春 (Yǒngchūn)
• 永晝 / 永昼
• 永暑礁 (Yǒngshǔjiāo)
• 永業田 / 永业田
• 永樂 / 永乐 (Yǒnglè)
• 永樂大典 / 永乐大典 (Yǒnglè Dàdiǎn)
• 永樂宮 / 永乐宫
• 永樂窯 / 永乐窑
• 永樂錢 / 永乐钱
• 永永無窮 / 永永无穷
• 永活 (yǒnghuó)
• 永浴愛河 / 永浴爱河
• 永漋 (Yǒnglóng)
• 永濟渠 / 永济渠
• 永無寧日 / 永无宁日 (yǒngwúníngrì)
• 永無止境 / 永无止境 (yǒngwúzhǐjìng)
• 永珍 (Yǒngzhēn)
• 永生 (yǒngshēng)
• 永生永世
• 永生花
• 永生難忘 / 永生难忘
• 永眠 (yǒngmián)
• 永矢弗諼 / 永矢弗谖
• 永立 (Yǒnglì)
• 永結同心 / 永结同心 (yǒngjiétóngxīn)
• 永續 / 永续 (yǒngxù)
• 永續林 / 永续林
• 永續經營 / 永续经营
• 永興莊 / 永兴庄 (Yǒngxīngzhuāng)
• 永訣 / 永诀 (yǒngjué)
• 永誌不忘 / 永志不忘 (yǒngzhìbùwàng)
• 永豐 / 永丰 (Yǒngfēng)
• 永逝 (yǒngshì)
• 永逸
• 永遠 / 永远 (yǒngyuǎn)
• 永錫不匱 / 永锡不匮
• 永隆 (Yǒnglóng)
• 永靖 (Yǒngjìng)
• 清新雋永 / 清新隽永
• 繞梁韻永 / 绕梁韵永
• 萱堂日永
• 雋永 / 隽永 (juànyǒng)
• 霽範永存 / 霁范永存
• 青春永駐 / 青春永驻