Zi:习

From Wenlin Dictionaries

(F​) [] study (​习); practice/exercise (​习); habit/custom (习​)

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The simple-form character 习 xí ‘study/practice’ (3 strokes) is an abbrev. of the full-form character ​ (11 strokes), reducing the full-form character to its first 3 strokes (left half of ​), and omitting the rest (8 strokes; the right half of ​, and all of ​).
    The Shuōwén Seal form of ​ xí ‘learning to fly’ combines ​(​𦏲) yǔ ‘feathers/wings/flight’, and the old form ​(​𪞶𦣹) zì ‘oneself/itself’ (phonosemantic): the fledgling bird teaches itself (learns, gains the wisdom) to fly, in repeated attempts/failures (falling out of the nest); practice builds good habits (makes perfect), on the path to flight/wisdom.
    Compare: ​𥱵(​) suì/huì ‘broom; comet’; ​ huì ‘clever/wise’; ​(​𥏼𥏾) zhì ‘wisdom’ (​=​: ​).
    Note: In the old form of ​, ​𥱵(​) suì/huì ← MC /ziueis/, the component is ​ xí (phonetic) ← MC /ziep/; cf. ​(​𦣹) zì ← MC /dzieis/ (SBGY).
    Compare: ​ jiē/xié ‘all/harmony’ ← MC /kei/, in which the old lower component is also ​(​𪞶𦣹) zì ‘nose/self’.
    Note: In the modern simple form 习, the upper full-form component ​ (two wings) is abbrev. to 习 (one wing), and the lower component (​/​ zì ‘self’, not ​ bái ‘white’) is omitted entirely.
    “[​] Young birds learning to fly; to practise; be familiar with; custom — the seal has ​ below: use ones ​ own ​ wings” —Karlgren(AD).
    “[​] Starting point, the origin, beginning, evolution; the nose being, according to the Chinese embryology, the starting point of the bodily evolution” —Wieger.
    “The ​ (contracted) first attempts to ​ fly, made by a young bird; ​, ​, ​。By extension, to repeat the same act, to practice” —Wieger.
    Older graphs associated with ​ seem to have a shape like ​ or ​ below, perhaps signifying the bird nest/egg (HDZ).
    Compare: ​西(​𧟢) xī ‘west’, said to depict a bird sitting on its nest; ​, ​/​ zēng ‘twig nest’.
    Compare: ​(​) xī ‘dried meat; old’, ​ cuò ‘coarse/crude; mistake’ (​).
    Compare: ​ jiē/xié ‘all/harmony’, in which also ​(​𪞶) zì ‘nose/self’.
►references: Wieger:159a; Karlgren:AD781; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.51.3; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:004.1.08; EDOC:0
►components:𠃌
►Cantonese: jaahp-
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Unicode: U+4E60
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