宙

宙 U 5B99, 宙 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5B99 ← 官 [U 5B98] CJK Unified Ideographs 定 → [U 5B9A]

Translingual

Han character

宙 (Kangxi radical 40, 宀 5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 十中田 (JLW), four-corner 3060₂, composition ⿱宀由)

Derived characters

• 𥇻, 𦁖, 𫈛, 𡧹

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 283, character 17
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7108
• Dae Jaweon: page 559, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 921, character 2
• Unihan data for U 5B99

Chinese

simp. and trad.		宙

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
袖	*ljɯwɢs
岫	*ljɯwɢs
牰	*ljɯwɢs, *lɯwɢs
抽	*l̥ʰɯw
妯	*l̥ʰɯw, *l'ɯwɢ
紬	*l'ɯw
怞	*l'ɯw
鮋	*l'ɯw, *ɦljɯw, *lɯw
菗	*rlɯw
宙	*l'ɯwɢs
胄	*l'ɯwɢs
冑	*l'ɯwɢs
伷	*l'ɯwɢs
駎	*l'ɯwɢs
油	*lɯw, *lɯwɢs
由	*lɯw
蚰	*lɯw
秞	*lɯw
邮	*lɯw
釉	*lɯwɢs
柚	*lɯwɢs, *l'ɯwɢ
鼬	*lɯwɢs
苖	*l'ɯːwɢ, *l̥ʰɯwɢ
笛	*l'ɯːwɢ
迪	*l'ɯːwɢ
頔	*l'ɯːwɢ
軸	*l'ɯwɢ
舳	*l'ɯwɢ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *l'ɯwɢs) : semantic 宀 (“roof”) phonetic 由 (OC *lɯw). It originally represented the farthest place accessible by boat or vehicle and, by extension, came to express the idea of spatial expansion or vastness.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhòu (zhou⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄓㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zau⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhiu
• Eastern Min (BUC): dêu
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): diu⁴ / diu⁵
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tiū / tiǔ
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶zeu

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhòu
    • Zhuyin: ㄓㄡˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhòu
    • Wade–Giles: chou⁴
    • Yale: jòu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jow
    • Palladius: чжоу (čžou)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zau⁶
    • Yale: jauh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzau⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: zeo⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɐu̯²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhiu
    • Hakka Romanization System: qiu
    • Hagfa Pinyim: qiu⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰi̯u⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: dêu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiɛu²⁴²/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: diu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiu⁴²/
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: diu⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tiu²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiū
    • Tâi-lô: tiū
    • Phofsit Daibuun: diu
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /tiu³³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tiu⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /tiu²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tiǔ
    • Tâi-lô: tiǔ
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tiu²²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶zeu
    • MiniDict: zeu^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³zeu
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zɤ²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: drjuwH

Rime
Character	宙
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	澄 (11)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	直祐切
Baxter	drjuwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɖɨuH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɖiuH/
Shao Rongfen	/ȡiəuH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɖuwH/
Li Rong	/ȡiuH/
Wang Li	/ȡĭəuH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ȡʱi̯ə̯uH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhòu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zau6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*l'ɯwɢs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	宙
Reading #	1/1
No.	15519
Phonetic component	由
Rime group	奧
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	胄
Old Chinese	/*l'ɯwɢs/

Definitions

宙

1. (obsolete) (of a house) ridgepole and beams

   • 而燕雀佼之，以為不能與之爭於宇宙之間。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     而燕雀佼之，以为不能与之争于宇宙之间。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Huainanzi, 2^nd century BCE

     Ér yànquè jiǎo zhī, yǐwèi bùnéng yǔ zhī zhēng yú yǔzhòu zhījiān. [Pinyin]

     So the swallows and sparrows mocked them (the fenghuang), saying that they were incapable of matching them in squabbling among the eaves and roof, ridgepole, and beams.

2. (obsolete, except in 宇宙) infinite time

   • 有實而無乎處，有長而無乎本剽，有所出而無竅者有實。有實而無乎處者，宇也；有長而無本剽者，宙也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     有实而无乎处，有长而无乎本剽，有所出而无窍者有实。有实而无乎处者，宇也；有长而无本剽者，宙也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yǒu shí ér wú hū chù, yǒu cháng ér wú hū běnpiāo, yǒu suǒchū ér wú qiào zhě yǒu shí. Yǒu shí ér wú hū chù zhě, yǔ yě; yǒu cháng ér wú běn piāo zhě, zhòu yě. [Pinyin]

     He has a real existence, but it has nothing to do with place; he has continuance, but it has nothing to do with beginning or end. He has a real existence, but it has nothing to do with place, such is his relation to space; he has continuance, but it has nothing to do with beginning or end, such is his relation to time.

   • 宇宙在乎手。 [Literary Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 《黃帝陰符經》(The Yellow Thearch's Classic of the Hidden Talisman), circa 8th century CE, translated based on James Legge's version.

     Yǔzhòu zài hū shǒu. [Pinyin]

     All space and time are at his disposal.

3. (obsolete) heaven, sky

   • 霜凝碧宙，水瑩丹霄。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     霜凝碧宙，水莹丹霄。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 7th century CE, Wang Bo,《七夕賦》 (Rhapsody on the Seventh Month's Seventh Night).

     Shuāng níng bì zhòu, shuǐ yíng dān xiāo. [Pinyin]

     Dew forms in the cerulean sky; water-droplets glisten in the scarlet welkin.

4. (geology) eon (geochronologic unit)

Compounds

• 孔宙碑
• 宇宙 (yǔzhòu)
• 宇宙塵／宇宙尘 (yǔzhòuchén)
• 宇宙射線／宇宙射线 (yǔzhòu shèxiàn)
• 宇宙年
• 宇宙火箭
• 宇宙站
• 宇宙線／宇宙线 (yǔzhòuxiàn)
• 宇宙觀／宇宙观 (yǔzhòuguān)
• 宇宙速度 (yǔzhòu sùdù)
• 宇宙鋒／宇宙锋
• 宇宙飛船／宇宙飞船 (yǔzhòu fēichuán)
• 宙斯 (Zhòusī)
• 島宇宙／岛宇宙
• 漢孔宙碑／汉孔宙碑
• 膨脹宇宙／膨胀宇宙

 

References

• “宙”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “宙”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 312.

Japanese

Kanji

宙

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. mid-air

Readings

• Go-on: じゅう (jū)^{←ぢう (diu, historical)}
• Kan-on: ちゅう (chū, Jōyō)^{←ちう (tiu, historical)}
• Kun: そら (sora, 宙)、も (mo, 宙)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
宙
ちゅう Grade: 6
kan'on

Noun

宙(ちゅう) • (chū) 

1. mid-air

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 宙 (MC drjuwH).

Historical readings

• Recorded as Middle Korean 뜌ᇢ〮 (Yale: ttyúw) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.
• Recorded as Middle Korean 듀〯 (tyǔ) (Yale: tyǔ) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕu(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [주(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Wikisource

宙 (eumhun 집 주 (jip ju))

1. hanja form^? of 주 (“infinite time in 우주 (宇宙, uju, “space”)”)
2. hanja form^? of 주 (“house; ridgepole; pillar”)

Compounds

Compounds

• 우주 (宇宙, uju, “space”)
• 우주선 (宇宙船, ujuseon, “spaceship”)
• 우주인 (宇宙人, uju'in, “alien; astronaut”)
• 대우주 (大宇宙, dae'uju, “macrocosm”)
• 소우주 (小宇宙, souju, “microcosm”)
• 우주복 (宇宙服, ujubok, “spacesuit”)
• 주합루 (宙合樓, Juhamnu, “Juhamnu”)
• 우주만물 (宇宙萬物, ujumanmul, “all things”)
• 우주왕복선 (宇宙往復船, ujuwangbokseon, “space shuttle”)
• 우주비행사 (宇宙飛行士, ujubihaengsa, “astronaut”)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Vietnamese

Han character

宙: Hán Nôm readings: trụ

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