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Definition 2024

使

使

使 U+4F7F, 使
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4F7F
← 佾
[U+4F7E] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 侀 →
[U+4F80]
See also: 便

Translingual

Han character

使 (radical 9 人+6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 人十中大 (OJLK), four-corner 25206, composition ⿰亻吏)

  1. cause, send on a mission, order
  2. envoy, messenger, ambassador

References

  • KangXi: page 101, character 5
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 573
  • Dae Jaweon: page 213, character 12
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 145, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+4F7F

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 使
alt. forms 駛／驶 (sai2; Cantonese “need”)
洗 (sai2; Cantonese “need”)

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 使
Oracle bone script

j19037
Bronze inscriptions

b12363

b12364
Large seal script

L13528

L13529

L13530

L13531

L13532

L13533

L13534

L13535
Small seal script

s05813
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 (large seal) and
  • Xu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Characters in the same phonetic series (史) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
吏 *rɯs
倳 *ʔsrɯs
剚 *ʔsrɯs
事 *ʔsrɯs, *zrɯs
史 *srɯʔ
使 *srɯʔ, *srɯs
駛 *srɯʔ, *srɯs

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *srɯʔ, *srɯs) : semantic 亻 + phonetic 吏 ‎(OC *rɯs).

Pronunciation 1

Rime
Character 使
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 生 (21)
Final (韻) 之 (19)
Tone (調) Rising (X)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 踈士切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /ʃɨX/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʃɨX/
Shao
Rongfen		 /ʃieX/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʂɨX/
Li
Rong		 /ʃiəX/
Wang
Li		 /ʃĭəX/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʂiX/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 shǐ
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 使
Reading # 1/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 shǐ
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ sriX ›
Old
Chinese		 /*s-rəʔ/
English send; cause

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 使
Reading # 1/2
No. 11488
Phonetic
component		 史
Rime
group		 之
Rime
subdivision		 0
Corresponding
MC rime		 史
Old
Chinese		 /*srɯʔ/

Definitions

使

  1. to order to do
  2. to send; to dispatch
  3. to let; to make; to cause to
  4. to use; to employ
  5. to play; to play with; to resort to; to dally with
  6. to indulge
  7. (Cantonese) need to [do something]; have to
    你唔使攞咁多！ [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]
    Nei5 m4sai2 lo2 gam3 do1! [Jyutping]
    You don't need to get so much!
  8. (Cantonese) need [something]; require; want strongly
Synonyms
  • (Cantonese) (need): 需要 (xūyào)

Pronunciation 2

Rime
Character 使
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 生 (21)
Final (韻) 之 (19)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 踈吏切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /ʃɨH/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʃɨH/
Shao
Rongfen		 /ʃieH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʂɨH/
Li
Rong		 /ʃiəH/
Wang
Li		 /ʃĭəH/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʂiH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 shì
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 使
Reading # 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 shǐ
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ sriH ›
Old
Chinese		 /*s-rəʔ-s/
English envoy

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 使
Reading # 2/2
No. 11491
Phonetic
component		 史
Rime
group		 之
Rime
subdivision		 0
Corresponding
MC rime		 𩢲
Old
Chinese		 /*srɯs/

Definitions

使

  1. (historical) to send as an envoy abroad
  2. envoy; messenger

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

使

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Usage notes

使う (tsukau) is the most common word for "to use."

Noun

使 ‎(hiragana し, romaji shi)

  1. messenger

Korean

Hanja

使 • ‎(sa, si) (hangeul 사, 시, revised sa, si, McCune-Reischauer sa, si)

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

使 (sứ, sử, sửa, thửa)

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Compounds

References

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