Zi:五

五 [wǔ] five; 五​月 Wǔyuè May; (HDZ:) (​数​词) ​四​加​一​的​和; 五​行; ​纵​横​交​错; ​伍; ​工​尺​谱​符​号​之​一; (​姓)

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

►¹wǔ* ​五 {A} num. five; 5 ◆n. 〈environment:〉 mus. no. 6 in gōngchěpǔ

The Shuōwén Seal form of 五(​𠄡​㐅) wǔ ‘five’ (elements/etc.) is said to combine a shape like ​二 comprised of two ⚊ yáng lines (⚌) representing heaven above earth (as in ​亟), with a shape ​㐅 in between signifying (⚋) the complexity of the world arising from (visible in) their combination; formerly also abbrev. ​㐅.
    Compare: ​悟 wù ‘be aware of, understand’, formerly wr. ​𢛤, with overlapping 五(​𠄡) wǔ ‘five’ (phonosemantic), like ​爻 with ​三 three lines interspersed; cf. ䷝, vs. ​爻(䷜).
    Note: The SW explanation of 五 wǔ ‘five’ reflects the structure of the trigram ​离/​離 ☲ (binary 5), in which the central broken ​阴 yīn ‘female’ line (⚋) is wr. ​㐅; this relates to anc. divination/mathematical practices (​易) accounting for the shapes of the basic digits above ​三 sān ‘three’; cf. ​四(​𠃢​𦉭) sì ‘four’, ​六 liù ‘six’.
    Compare: ​爻 yáo ‘n-gram lines’; ​教(​敎) jiāo ‘teach’; ​学/​學 xué ‘learn’; ​悟(​𢛤) wù ‘understand’.
    Compare: ​亟(​𠄹) jí ‘fast/quick/nimble’; ​极/​極 jí ‘ridgepole’ (☯ ​太​極).
    Compare: 五(​𠄡​㐅) wǔ ← MC /ŋoʔ/; ​午 wǔ ‘noon’ ← MC /ŋoʔ/; ​火 huǒ ‘fire’ ← MC /xuɑʔ/ (SBGY).
    Compare: ☲ ​离(​𡼁​離) lí ‘light/fire’ (open/clear in the middle, clinging to that which it lights/burns).
    “[五] 五​行​也。​从​二, ​陰​陽​在​天​地​間。” —《​說​文》。
    “[五] The two principles yīn and yáng, begetting the five elements, between heaven and earth.” —Wieger.
    HDC: 五​行 : ​水、​火、​木、​金、​土; (​旧) ​星​相​家​以五​行​生​尅​推​算​命​运; ​命​运; 五​种​行​为; (​星​名) …
    HDC: ​交​午 : ​纵​横​交​错; ​华​表
►references: Guǎngyùn:266.15; Wieger:39a; Henshall:19; Karlgren:AD1282,GSR58a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.11.3; Lindqvist:333; Mathews:7187; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:86.11; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:005.1.10; Wáng(1993):192; EDOC:1
►Cantonese: hng/
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Unicode: U+4E94
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