繁

See also: 緐

繁 U+7E41, 繁 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7E41 ← 繀 [U+7E40] CJK Unified Ideographs 繂 → [U+7E42]

繁 U+FA59, 繁 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-FA59 ← 縉 [U+FA58] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 署 → [U+FA5A]

Translingual

Han character

繁 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+11 in Chinese, 糸+10 in Japanese, 17 strokes in Chinese, 16 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 人大女戈火 (OKVIF), four-corner 8890₃, composition ⿱敏糸)

Derived characters

• 㩯, 瀿, 蘩

Additional Derived Characters

• 𩎆, 𬹬, 𬪤

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 937, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27803
• Dae Jaweon: page 1376, character 5
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3444, character 3
• Unihan data for U+7E41

• Unihan data for U+FA59

Chinese

trad.		繁
simp. #		繁
2nd round simp.		⿰纟凡
alternative forms		䋣 緐／繁 䌓 𦅳 𥿋 䋣 緐／繁 䌓 𦅳 𥿋 𦃍

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
繁	*baːl, *baːn, *ban
緐	*ban
蘩	*ban
瀿	*ban
瀪	*bans

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *baːl, *baːn, *ban): phonetic 敏 (OC *mrɯʔ, *mrɯŋʔ) + semantic 糸 (“silk”)

Etymology

The same word as 蕃 (OC *ban, “luxuriant; numerous”). See there for more.

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fán (fan²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): faan⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): fàn

  (Hailu, HRS): fan

• Eastern Min (BUC): huàng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): huang² / huong²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hoân

  (Teochew, Peng'im): huang⁵ / huêng⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fán
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fán
    • Wade–Giles: fan²
    • Yale: fán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: farn
    • Palladius: фань (fanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fän³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: faan⁴
    • Yale: fàahn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: fan⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /faːn²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fàn
    • Hakka Romanization System: fan^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fan²
    • Sinological IPA: /fan¹¹/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: fan
    • Sinological IPA: /fan⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: huàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: huang²
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: huáng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: huong²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huoŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoân
    • Tâi-lô: huân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hoaan
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /huan²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /huan²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /huan¹³/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /huan²⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /huan²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: huang⁵ / huêng⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huâng / huêng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /huaŋ⁵⁵/, /hueŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

• huang5 - Shantou;
• huêng5 - Chaozhou.

---

• Middle Chinese: bjon

Rime
Character	繁
Reading #	1/3
Initial (聲)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	元 (66)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	附袁切
Baxter	bjon
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bʉɐn/
Pan Wuyun	/bʷiɐn/
Shao Rongfen	/biuɐn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/buan/
Li Rong	/biuɐn/
Wang Li	/bĭwɐn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱi̯wɐn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	fán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	faan4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[b]ar/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ban/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	繁
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	fán
Middle Chinese	‹ bjon ›
Old Chinese	/*[b]ar/
English	abundant, numerous
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	繁
Reading #	3/3
No.	2951
Phonetic component	緐
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	煩
Old Chinese	/*ban/
Notes	說文作緐

Definitions

繁

1. numerous; many

   繁星  ―  fánxīng  ―  numerous stars

2. complicated

   繁體字／繁体字  ―  fántǐzì  ―  traditional Chinese characters

3. luxuriant; lush

   繁盛  ―  fánshèng  ―  thriving

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “complicated”): 簡／简 (jiǎn)

Compounds

• 人工繁殖
• 冗繁 (rǒngfán)
• 分株繁殖
• 刪繁就簡 / 删繁就简
• 化繁為簡 / 化繁为简 (huàfánwéijiǎn)
• 卷帙浩繁
• 多言繁稱 / 多言繁称
• 實繁有徒 / 实繁有徒
• 急竹繁絲 / 急竹繁丝
• 急管繁絃 / 急管繁弦
• 意謂繁句 / 意谓繁句
• 旌繁
• 春秋繁露
• 有性繁殖
• 枝繁葉茂 / 枝繁叶茂 (zhīfányèmào)
• 根蘗繁殖
• 浩繁 (hàofán)
• 演繁露
• 生齒日繁 / 生齿日繁 (shēngchǐrìfán)
• 紛繁 / 纷繁 (fēnfán)
• 繁冗 (fánrǒng)
• 繁分數 / 繁分数
• 繁刑重斂 / 繁刑重敛
• 繁刑重賦 / 繁刑重赋
• 繁劇 / 繁剧
• 繁博
• 繁句
• 繁囂 / 繁嚣
• 繁多 (fánduō)
• 繁密 (fánmì)
• 繁富 (fánfù)
• 繁弦急管
• 繁弱
• 繁忙 (fánmáng)
• 繁文末節 / 繁文末节
• 繁文縟禮 / 繁文缛礼 (fánwénrùlǐ)
• 繁文縟節 / 繁文缛节
• 繁昌 (fánchāng)
• 繁星 (fánxīng)
• 繁暑
• 繁有徒
• 繁榮 / 繁荣 (fánróng)
• 繁榮富強 / 繁荣富强
• 繁榮昌盛 / 繁荣昌盛
• 繁殖 (fánzhí)
• 繁瑣 / 繁琐 (fánsuǒ)
• 繁盛 (fánshèng)
• 繁禮多儀 / 繁礼多仪
• 繁細 / 繁细 (fánxì)
• 繁絲急管 / 繁丝急管
• 繁縟 / 繁缛
• 繁纓 / 繁缨
• 繁缺
• 繁育 (fányù)
• 繁臺 / 繁台
• 繁花錦簇 / 繁花锦簇
• 繁茂 (fánmào)
• 繁華 / 繁华 (fánhuá)
• 繁華世界 / 繁华世界
• 繁華損枝 / 繁华损枝
• 繁蕪 / 繁芜
• 繁衍 (fányǎn)
• 繁複 / 繁复 (fánfù)
• 繁言吝嗇 / 繁言吝啬
• 繁賾 / 繁赜
• 繁重 (fánzhòng)
• 繁雜 / 繁杂 (fánzá)
• 繁難 / 繁难 (fánnán)
• 繁露
• 繁體 / 繁体 (fántǐ)
• 繁體字 / 繁体字 (fántǐzì)
• 繁麗 / 繁丽
• 舉要治繁 / 举要治繁
• 芟繁就簡 / 芟繁就简
• 葉塊繁殖 / 叶块繁殖
• 豐繁 / 丰繁 (fēngfán)
• 頻繁 / 频繁 (pínfán)
• 食指浩繁

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (繁):

• → Japanese: 繁(はん) (han)
• → Korean: 번(繁) (beon)
• → Vietnamese: phồn (繁)

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pó (po²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄛˊ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pó
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄛˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pó
    • Wade–Giles: pʻo²
    • Yale: pwó
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: por
    • Palladius: по (po)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: ba

Rime
Character	繁
Reading #	3/3
Initial (聲)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	薄波切
Baxter	ba
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/buɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/buɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/buɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bwa/
Li Rong	/buɑ/
Wang Li	/buɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱuɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	pó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	po4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*baːl/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	繁
Reading #	1/3
No.	2945
Phonetic component	緐
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	婆
Old Chinese	/*baːl/
Notes	見爾雅

Definitions

繁

1. alternative form of 皤 (pó, “white”)
2. a surname
3. only used in 繁塔 and 繁台

Pronunciation 3

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): pán (pan²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄢˊ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pán
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pán
    • Wade–Giles: pʻan²
    • Yale: pán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: parn
    • Palladius: пань (panʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰän³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: ban

Rime
Character	繁
Reading #	2/3
Initial (聲)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	薄官切
Baxter	ban
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/buɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/bʷɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/buɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bwan/
Li Rong	/buɑn/
Wang Li	/buɑn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱuɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	pán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	pun4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*baːn/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	繁
Reading #	2/3
No.	2946
Phonetic component	緐
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	槃
Old Chinese	/*baːn/

Definitions

繁

1. alternative form of 鞶 (pán)

Pronunciation 4

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mǐn (min³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄣˇ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǐn
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄣˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǐn
    • Wade–Giles: min³
    • Yale: mǐn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: miin
    • Palladius: минь (minʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /min²¹⁴/

Definitions

繁

1. alternative form of 敏 (mǐn)
2. used in 繁鳥／繁鸟