臧

臧 U+81E7, 臧 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-81E7 ← 臦 [U+81E6] CJK Unified Ideographs 臨 → [U+81E8]

Translingual

Han character

臧 (Kangxi radical 131, 臣+8, 14 strokes, cangjie input 戈一尸中中 (IMSLL), four-corner 2325₀, composition ⿵戕臣)

Derived characters

• 㵴, 贓, 𰷭, 藏, 𡁧, 𡒤, 𡽴, 𮍄, 𡾻, 𩯩, 𡒉, 𡒥, 𢨑

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 999, character 23
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30083
• Dae Jaweon: page 1451, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1410, character 11
• Unihan data for U+81E7

Chinese

simp. and trad.		臧
alternative forms		𦣣 匨 𠗱

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 臧
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script

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

	Old Chinese
臧	*ʔsaːŋ
牂	*ʔsaːŋ
戕	*kaːl, *ʔsaːŋ, *zaŋ
贓	*ʔsaːŋ
藏	*zaːŋ, *zaːŋs
奘	*zaːŋʔ, *zaːŋs
臟	*zaːŋs
將	*ʔsaŋ, *ʔsaŋs
漿	*ʔsaŋ
鱂	*ʔsaŋ
蔣	*ʔsaŋ, *ʔsaŋʔ
螿	*ʔsaŋ
槳	*ʔsaŋʔ
獎	*ʔsaŋʔ
醬	*ʔsaŋs
鏘	*sʰaŋ
蹡	*sʰaŋ, *ʔshaŋs
嶈	*sʰaŋ
斨	*sʰaŋ
爿	*braːn, *zaŋ
牆	*zaŋ
妝	*ʔsraŋ
莊	*ʔsraŋ
裝	*ʔsraŋ, *ʔsraŋs
壯	*ʔsraŋs
疒	*rnɯːɡ, *zraŋ
床	*zraŋ
牀	*zraŋ
狀	*zraŋs

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 臣 (“eye”) + 戈 (“spear;weapon”) – "slave; prisoner of war" (slaves in ancient China were blinded, hence the 臣 component. Hence, the original version is 𦣣.

The phonetic component 爿 (OC *zaŋ), absent in the oracle-bone script, was added at a later stage (see Yang, 1965, and references therein), leading Shuowen to interpret the character as a phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ʔsaːŋ): phonetic 戕 (OC *kaːl, *ʔsaːŋ, *zaŋ) + semantic 臣.

Perhaps borrowed phonetically to mean "generous".

See also 童, 民, and 盲.

Etymology 1

Sino-Tibetan; cognate with Tibetan བཟང (bzang, “good; fine”) (Coblin, 1986).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zāng (zang¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zong¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zang
    • Wade–Giles: tsang¹
    • Yale: dzāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzang
    • Palladius: цзан (czan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zong¹
    • Yale: jōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: zong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːŋ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: tsang

Rime
Character	臧
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	則郎切
Baxter	tsang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡saŋ/
Li Rong	/t͡sɑŋ/
Wang Li	/t͡sɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zong1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ts]ˤaŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	臧
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zāng
Middle Chinese	‹ tsang ›
Old Chinese	/*[ts]ˁaŋ/
English	good
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	臧
Reading #	1/1
No.	10277
Phonetic component	爿
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	臧
Old Chinese	/*ʔsaːŋ/
Notes	甲文從臣從戈， 象以戈刺俘目爲奴（楊樹達說），後乃加爿聲爲轉註字

Definitions

臧

1. (literary) good; right; generous

   • 彼月而食，則維其常。此日而食，于何不臧？ [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     彼月而食，则维其常。此日而食，于何不臧？ [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Bǐ yuè ér shí, zé wéi qí cháng. Cǐ rì ér shí, yú hé bù zāng? [Pinyin]

     For the moon to be eclipsed,
     Is but an ordinary matter.
     Now that the sun has been eclipsed,
     How bad [lit. not good] it is!

2. (literary) to praise; to commend
3. a surname

   臧克家  ―  Zāng Kèjiā  ―  Zang Kejia (Chinese poet)

Compounds

• 不臧 (bùzāng)
• 人謀不臧 / 人谋不臧
• 臧否 (zāngpǐ)
• 臧否人物
• 臧獲 / 臧获
• 臧穀亡羊 / 臧谷亡羊
• 陟罰臧否 / 陟罚臧否 (zhìfázāngpǐ)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zāng (zang¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zong¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zang
    • Wade–Giles: tsang¹
    • Yale: dzāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzang
    • Palladius: цзан (czan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zong¹
    • Yale: jōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: zong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːŋ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: tsang

Rime
Character	臧
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	則郎切
Baxter	tsang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡saŋ/
Li Rong	/t͡sɑŋ/
Wang Li	/t͡sɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zong1

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	臧
Reading #	1/1
No.	10277
Phonetic component	爿
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	臧
Old Chinese	/*ʔsaːŋ/
Notes	甲文從臣從戈， 象以戈刺俘目爲奴（楊樹達說），後乃加爿聲爲轉註字

Definitions

臧

1. (literary, obsolete, derogatory) slave; enslaved captive

   • 且夫臧獲婢妾，猶能引決，況僕之不得已乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     且夫臧获婢妾，犹能引决，况仆之不得已乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1st century BCE, Sima Qian, Letter to Ren An. Translated by Burton Watson.

     Qiěfú zānghuò bìqiè, yóu néng yǐnjué, kuàng pú zhī bùdéyǐ hū? [Pinyin]

     If even the lowest slave and scullion maid can bear to commit suicide, why shouldn't one like myself be able to do what has to be done?

2. (literary, obsolete) alternative form of 贓 / 赃 (zāng, “booty; loot; stolen goods”)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cáng (cang²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cong⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cáng
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻang²
    • Yale: tsáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsarng
    • Palladius: цан (can)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: cong⁴
    • Yale: chòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: cong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɔːŋ²¹/

Definitions

臧

1. alternative form of 藏 (“to hide; to store”)

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zàng (zang⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zong⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zàng
    • Wade–Giles: tsang⁴
    • Yale: dzàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzanq
    • Palladius: цзан (czan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zong⁶
    • Yale: johng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzong⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: zong⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːŋ²²/

Definitions

臧

1. (obsolete) alternative form of 藏 (zàng, “storing place; depository”)
2. (obsolete) alternative form of 臟 / 脏 (zàng, “internal organs, viscera”)