# 乂

| 乂 | U+4E42, &#20034; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E42 |
| ← 乁 [U+4E41] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 乃 → [U+4E43] |

## Translingual
### Han character

乂 (Kangxi radical 4, 丿+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 大 (K) or 難大 (XK), four-corner 4000$_0$, composition ⿻丿㇏)

#### Derived characters

* 爻, 冈, 艾, 㲼, 刈, 䢃

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 81, character 10
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 111
* Dae Jaweon: page 165, character 1
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 31, character 3
* Unihan data for U+4E42

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乂 :
| Shang | Western Zhou | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| Oracle bone scriptj26552Small seal scripts09374s10920Transcribed ancient scriptsL19486L19487 ||||
| 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 (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script). ||||
| | Old Chinese |
| 艾 | *ŋaːds, *ŋads |
| 鴱 | *ŋaːds, *ŋads |
| 餀 | *hŋaːds |
| 刈 | *ŋads |
| 乂 | *ŋads |
Pictogram (象形) — a tool similar to a knife (Li Xueqin, 2012), perhaps a sickle; see also 辛. In some other versions both on oracle bones and bronzes, it looks like a huge pair of scrissors used to cut weed. The original meaning of "mow, cut weed; sickle" is preserved in 刈. Unrelated to 爻.

### Etymology

Sense "regulate, govern, orderly" is derived from "to mow, cut, reap"; this sense's origin is ambiguous, possibly from "to cut" > "to trim", etc. (Schuessler, 2007). If so, see 刈 (yì) for etymology.
Alternatively, from 禦／御 (yù) (ibid.)

### Pronunciation 1

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yì (yi$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄧˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): ngaai$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yì
*** Zhuyin: ㄧˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yì
*** Wade–Giles: i$^4$
*** Yale: yì
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yih
*** Palladius: и (i)
*** Sinological IPA : /i⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ngaai$^6$
*** Yale: ngaaih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ngaai$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ngai$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋaːi̯²²/
* Middle Chinese: ngjojH
Rime :
| Character | 乂 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 疑 (31) |
| Final (韻) | 廢 (27) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 魚肺切 |
| Baxter | ngjojH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ŋɨɐi$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ŋiɐi$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ŋiɐi$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ŋɨaj$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ŋiɐi$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ŋĭɐi$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ŋi̯ɐi$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | yì |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | ngai$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*ŋa[t]-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ŋads/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 乂 | 乂 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | yì | yì |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ ngjoj$^H$ › | ‹ ngjoj$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*ŋa[t]-s/ | /*ŋa[t]-s/ |
| English | mow, cut (v.) | mow; regulate |
| 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 | 乂 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 14957 |
| Phonetic component | 乂 |
| Rime group | 祭 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 刈 |
| Old Chinese | /*ŋads/ |

#### Definitions

乂
* Original form of 刈 (yì, “to weed; to mow”).
* to govern; to control; to manage; to regulate
    From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE
    Shí zé wù yǒu jiān zhī, zì yīhuàyīyán, wǒ zé mò, wéi chéngdé zhī yàn, yǐ yì wǒ shòu mín. [Pinyin]
    Sometimes things will interfere. Then stick to your words and your speech, and let us be thinking of officers of complete virtues, and to regulate the people whom we have received.
* to nurture

#### Compounds

* 乂安 (yì'ān)
* 俊乂
* 俾乂

### Pronunciation 2

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): ài (ai$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄞˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): ngaai$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: ài
*** Zhuyin: ㄞˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: ài
*** Wade–Giles: ai$^4$
*** Yale: ài
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ay
*** Palladius: ай (aj)
*** Sinological IPA : /ˀaɪ̯⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ngaai$^6$
*** Yale: ngaaih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ngaai$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ngai$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋaːi̯²²/

#### Definitions

乂
* to discipline; to punish

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

#### Readings

* Go-on: げ (ge)
* Kan-on: がい (gai)
* Kun: かる (karu, 乂る)、おさめる (osameru, 乂める)、おさまる (osamaru, 乂まる)、やしなう (yashinau, 乂う)、さびい (sabii, 乂い)、こらす (korasu, 乂らす)

## Korean
### Etymology 1
#### Hanja

乂 (eumhun 벨 예 (bel ye)) 乂 (eumhun 다스릴 예 (daseuril ye))
* (obsolete) hanja form of 예 (“to weed; to mow”)
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 刈 (“hanja form of 예 (“to weed; to mow”)”)
* (obsolete) hanja form of 예 (“to govern; to control; to manage”)
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 艾 (“hanja form of 예 (“to govern; to control; to manage”)”)

### Etymology 2
#### Hanja

乂 (eumhun 징계할 애 (jinggyehal ae))
* (obsolete) hanja form of 애 (“to discipline; to punish”)

### References

* Naver Hanja Dictionary: 乂

## Vietnamese
### Han character

乂: Hán Nôm readings: nghệ, ngải
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

### References

* Lê Sơn Thanh, "Nom-Viet.dat", WinVNKey (details)