降

See also: 隆

降 U+964D, 降 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-964D ← 陌 [U+964C] CJK Unified Ideographs 陎 → [U+964E]

降 U+FA09, 降 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-FA09 ← 行 [U+FA08] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 見 → [U+FA0A]

Translingual

Han character

降 (Kangxi radical 170, 阜+6 in Chinese, 阜+7 in Japanese, 9 strokes in Chinese in traditional Chinese, 8 strokes in mainland China, 10 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 弓中竹水手 (NLHEQ), four-corner 7725₄, composition ⿰阝夅)

Derived characters

• 𭉓, 𰜡, 𤌅, 𧌰, 𡲣, 𡹷, 𱽿, 𫁫, 𩄐, 𱗘, 𰙳, 𤯲, 𨼇

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1349, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 41620
• Dae Jaweon: page 1852, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 4126, character 18
• Unihan data for U+964D

• Unihan data for U+FA09

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 降
Shang	Western Zhou
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions

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

	Old Chinese
贛	*kluːmʔ, *kluːms, *kromʔ, *kloːms
灨	*kluːmʔ, *kluːms
竷	*kʰluːms
戇	*kr'oːms, *qʰloːms
洚	*kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ, *ɡloːŋ, *ɡluːŋ
降	*kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ
絳	*kruːŋs
栙	*ɡruːŋ
夅	*ɡruːŋ
跭	*ɡruːŋ
隆	*ɡ·ruːŋ
癃	*ɡ·ruːŋ
窿	*ɡ·ruːŋ
霳	*ɡ·ruːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ) and ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): semantic 阝 (“hill, wall”) + phonetic 夅 (OC *ɡruːŋ, “to descend”) – descending a hill.

Etymology 1

trad.		降
simp. #		降
alternative forms		夅 𨹓 𡲣 𡲛

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): jiàng (jiang⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄤˋ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): jiang⁴

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gong³
• Gan (Wiktionary): gong⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kong

  (Meixian, Guangdong): gong⁴

• Northern Min (KCR): go̿ng
• Eastern Min (BUC): gáung
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kàng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gang³

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵kaon
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): jian⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiàng
    • Wade–Giles: chiang⁴
    • Yale: jyàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jianq
    • Palladius: цзян (czjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: jiang⁴
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: giang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕiaŋ²¹³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gong³
    • Yale: gong
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gong³
    • Guangdong Romanization: gong³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːŋ³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: gong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔŋ³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kong
    • Hakka Romanization System: gong
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /koŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: gong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /kɔŋ⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: go̿ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔŋ³³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gáung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɑuŋ²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kàng
    • Tâi-lô: kàng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kaxng
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /kaŋ²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /kaŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kaŋ¹¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gang³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵kaon
    • MiniDict: kaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²kaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kɑ̃³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: jian⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯æn⁴⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: kaewngH

Rime
Character	降
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	江 (9)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	古巷切
Baxter	kaewngH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kˠʌŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/kᵚɔŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/kɔŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kaɨwŋH/
Li Rong	/kɔŋH/
Wang Li	/kɔŋH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kɔŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jiàng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gong3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kˤruŋ-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kruːŋs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	降
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jiàng
Middle Chinese	‹ kæwngH ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁruŋ-s/ (? < *-[u]m-s)
English	descend
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	降
Reading #	1/2
No.	6279
Phonetic component	夅
Rime group	終
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	絳
Old Chinese	/*kruːŋs/

Definitions

降

1. to fall; to drop; to descend; to come down

   降落  ―  jiàngluò  ―  to fall; to land

2. (honorific) to visit; to honor with one's presence
3. to bestow; to confer

   • 天降喪亂，饑饉薦臻。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     天降丧乱，饥馑荐臻。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Tiān jiàng sāngluàn, jījǐn jiànzhēn. [Pinyin]

     That Heaven [thus] sends down death and disorder?
     Famine comes again and again.

4. to reduce; to decrease; to lower

   降價／降价  ―  jiàngjià  ―  to reduce the price

5. (music) flat (♭)

   降A大調／降A大调  ―  jiàng-ēi dàdiào  ―  A-flat major

6. to be born
7. a surname

Compounds

• 下降 (xiàjiàng)
• 以降 (yǐjiàng)
• 光降 (guāngjiàng)
• 升降 (shēngjiàng)
• 升降機 / 升降机 (shēngjiàngjī)
• 升降舵 (shēngjiàngduò)
• 名降
• 喜從天降 / 喜从天降
• 崧生嶽降 / 崧生岳降
• 嵩嶽降神 / 嵩岳降神
• 左降
• 強迫降落 / 强迫降落
• 從天而降 / 从天而降 (cóngtiān'érjiàng)
• 打降
• 技術降落 / 技术降落
• 明降
• 昴降
• 星降
• 普降甘霖
• 牛筋牛降
• 禍從天降 / 祸从天降
• 空降 (kōngjiàng)
• 空降作戰 / 空降作战
• 空降兵 (kōngjiàngbīng)
• 空降部隊 / 空降部队
• 紆尊降貴 / 纡尊降贵 (yūzūnjiàngguì)
• 調降 / 调降 (tiáojiàng)
• 謫降 / 谪降
• 貴降 / 贵降
• 賤降 / 贱降 (jiànjiàng)
• 迫降
• 降下 (jiàngxià)
• 降世 (jiàngshì)
• 降乩 (jiàngjī)
• 降交點 / 降交点
• 降低 (jiàngdī)
• 降價 / 降价 (jiàngjià)
• 降元音
• 降冪 / 降幂 (jiàngmì)
• 降冪排列 / 降幂排列
• 降凡
• 降升調 / 降升调
• 降半旗 (jiàngbànqí)
• 降咎
• 降壓器 / 降压器
• 降席
• 降幅 (jiàngfú)
• 降心相從 / 降心相从
• 降志辱身
• 降情
• 降旗 (jiàngqí)
• 降旨 (jiàngzhǐ)
• 降格 (jiànggé)
• 降格以求
• 降格仿諷 / 降格仿讽
• 降水 (jiàngshuǐ)
• 降水量 (jiàngshuǐliàng)
• 降溫 / 降温 (jiàngwēn)
• 降火 (jiànghuǒ)
• 降災 / 降灾
• 降生 (jiàngshēng)
• 降真香
• 降神 (jiàngshén)
• 降祥
• 降福
• 降級 / 降级 (jiàngjí)
• 降級數 / 降级数
• 降罪
• 降職 / 降职 (jiàngzhí)
• 降臨 / 降临 (jiànglín)
• 降落 (jiàngluò)
• 降落傘 / 降落伞 (jiàngluòsǎn)
• 降薪 (jiàngxīn)
• 降詔 / 降诏 (jiàngzhào)
• 降調 / 降调 (jiàngdiào)
• 降貴紆尊 / 降贵纡尊
• 降降的
• 降階 / 降阶
• 降雨 (jiàngyǔ)
• 降霜 (jiàngshuāng)
• 降香 (jiàngxiāng)
• 陟降
• 霜降 (Shuāngjiàng)
• 頻頻貶降 / 频频贬降
• 驟降 / 骤降 (zhòujiàng)
• 黜降

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (降):

• → Vietnamese: giáng (降)

Etymology 2

trad.		降
simp. #		降
alternative forms		夅 𨹓 𡲣 𡲛

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiáng (xiang²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hong⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): hòng
• Eastern Min (BUC): hòng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hâng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hang⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶ghaon

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siáng
    • Wade–Giles: hsiang²
    • Yale: syáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyang
    • Palladius: сян (sjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hong⁴
    • Yale: hòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːŋ²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: hong^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: hong²
    • Sinological IPA: /hoŋ¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: hòng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /houŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hâng
    • Tâi-lô: hâng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: haang
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /haŋ¹³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /haŋ²³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei): /haŋ²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hang⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hâng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶ghaon
    • MiniDict: ghaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦɑ̃²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: haewng

Rime
Character	降
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	江 (9)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	下江切
Baxter	haewng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠʌŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦᵚɔŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɔŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦaɨwŋ/
Li Rong	/ɣɔŋ/
Wang Li	/ɣɔŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣɔŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiáng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hong4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m-kˤru[ŋ]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡruːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	降
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiáng
Middle Chinese	‹ hæwng ›
Old Chinese	/*m-kˁru[ŋ]/ (? < *-[u]m)
English	submit
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	降
Reading #	2/2
No.	6281
Phonetic component	夅
Rime group	終
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	栙
Old Chinese	/*ɡruːŋ/

Definitions

降

1. to surrender; to capitulate; to give in

   投降  ―  tóuxiáng  ―  to surrender

2. to subdue; to vanquish

Compounds

• 乞降 (qǐxiáng)
• 伏虎降龍 / 伏虎降龙
• 勸降 / 劝降 (quànxiáng)
• 受降 (shòuxiáng)
• 受降城
• 投降 (tóuxiáng)
• 招降 (zhāoxiáng)
• 招降納叛 / 招降纳叛
• 招降納順 / 招降纳顺 (zhāoxiángnàshùn)
• 拱手投降
• 拱手而降
• 服降
• 望風而降 / 望风而降
• 歸降 / 归降 (guīxiáng)
• 納降 / 纳降
• 詐降 / 诈降 (zhàxiáng)
• 誘降 / 诱降
• 降伏 (xiángfú)
• 降妖 (xiángyāo)
• 降將 / 降将 (xiángjiàng)
• 降書 / 降书
• 降服
• 降表
• 降附
• 降順 / 降顺 (xiángshùn)
• 降龍伏虎 / 降龙伏虎

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (降):

• → Vietnamese: hàng (降)

Etymology 3

trad.		降
simp. #		降
alternative forms		𫱔

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “related to etymology 1?”)

Pronunciation

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kiung

  (Hailu, HRS): giung^ˇ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): giung⁴

---

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiung
    • Hakka Romanization System: giung
    • Hagfa Pinyim: giung⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯uŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: giung^ˇ
    • Sinological IPA: /kiuŋ¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: giung⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /kiʊŋ⁵³/

Definitions

降

1. (Hakka) to give birth
   • 2012, 黃翠芳 [Grace Huang], “阿奶好作 [Easy To Be A Lady]”, in 牽等你介手 [Hold Your Hands]‎, performed by 黃翠芳 [Grace Huang]:

     人毋係降下來就等人服侍 [Hailu Hakka, trad.]
     人毋系降下来就等人服侍 [Hailu Hakka, simp.]

     ngin m heˇ giungˇ haˋ loi ciu+ denˊ ngin fugˋ sii+ [Taiwanese Hakka Romanization System]

     People are not born to wait to be served