# 紹介
## Chinese
### Etymology

According to Sima Zhen's Commentaries on the Shiji (《史記索隱》), the original meaning of 紹介／绍介 (shàojiè) could be understood in the light of the 禮／礼 (lǐ, “etiquette”) for audience. Before meeting in person, the guest passes messages to the host through a series of attendants who are called 介 (jiè, “intermediary”). The word 紹／绍 (shào, “continually, serially”) describes the manner in which messages are relayed.
    From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
    Píngyuánjūn yuē: “Shèng qǐng wéi shàojiè ér xiàn zhī yú xiānshēng.” [Pinyin]
    The Lord Pingyuan said: "Please let me, Zhao Sheng, be an intermediary in the series and introduce him to you, venerable sir."
Reintroduced into Taiwanese Min Nan and Hakka from Japanese 紹(しょう)介(かい) (shōkai).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): shàojiè
    (Zhuyin): ㄕㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): siu$^6$ gaai$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): seu-kie / seu-kiai
    (Hailu, HRS): shau$^ˇ$ gai$^ˇ$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): siāu-kài
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shàojiè
*** Zhuyin: ㄕㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shàojiè
*** Wade–Giles: shao$^4$-chieh$^4$
*** Yale: shàu-jyè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shawjieh
*** Palladius: шаоцзе (šaocze)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: siu$^6$ gaai$^3$
*** Yale: siuh gaai
*** Cantonese Pinyin: siu$^6$ gaai$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: xiu$^6$ gai$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /siːu̯²² kaːi̯³³/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: seu-kie
*** Hakka Romanization System: seu gie
*** Hagfa Pinyim: seu$^4$ gie$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /seu̯⁵⁵ ki̯e⁵⁵/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: seu-kiai
*** Hakka Romanization System: seu giai
*** Hagfa Pinyim: seu$^4$ giai$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /seu̯⁵⁵ ki̯ai̯⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: shau$^ˇ$ gai$^ˇ$
*** Sinological IPA: /ʃau¹¹ kai¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siāu-kài
*** Tâi-lô: siāu-kài
*** Phofsit Daibuun: siauxkaix
*** IPA (Xiamen): /siau²²⁻²¹ kai²¹/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /siau⁴¹⁻²² kai⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /siau²²⁻²¹ kai²¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /siau³³⁻¹¹ kai¹¹/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /siau³³⁻²¹ kai²¹/
* Middle Chinese: dzyewX keajH
Rime :
| Character | 紹 | 介 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 常 (25) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 宵 (91) | 皆 (33) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | II |
| Fanqie | 市沼切 | 古拜切 |
| Baxter | dzyewX | keajH |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /d͡ʑiᴇu$^X$/ | /kˠɛi$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /d͡ʑiɛu$^X$/ | /kᵚæi$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /d͡ʑjæu$^X$/ | /kɐi$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /d͡ʑiaw$^X$/ | /kəɨj$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ʑiɛu$^X$/ | /kɛi$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ʑĭɛu$^X$/ | /kɐi$^H$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ʑi̯ɛu$^X$/ | /kăi$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | shào | jiè |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | siu$^6$ | gaai$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*djewʔ kreːds/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 介 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | jiè |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kɛj$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*kˁr[e]p-s/ |
| English | armour; scale of animals |
| 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 | 紹 | 介 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 2144 | 6525 |
| Phonetic component | 刀 | 介 |
| Rime group | 宵 | 祭 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 紹 | 誡 |
| Old Chinese | /*djewʔ/ | /*kreːds/ |

### Verb

紹介
* (literary or dialectal, chiefly Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka) to introduce
    From: Lu Xun, 1922. The True Story of Ah Q (《阿Q正傳》), based on the translation by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang.
    Tuō tā gěi zìjǐ shàojie shàojie, qù jìn Zìyóudǎng. [Pinyin]
    He had also asked the latter to introduce him to the Liberty Party.

#### Synonyms

* 介紹／介绍 (jièshào)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 紹介(しょうかい) (shōkai)
* → Korean: 소개(紹介) (sogae)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 紹 | 介 |
| しょう Grade: S | かい Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しょーかい [shòókáí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕo̞ːka̠i]

### Noun

紹(しょう)介(かい) • (shōkai)
* introduction

#### Derived terms

* 自己紹介(じこしょうかい) (jikoshōkai)

### Verb

紹(しょう)介(かい)する • (shōkai suru) suru (stem 紹(しょう)介(かい)し (shōkai shi), past 紹(しょう)介(かい)した (shōkai shita))
* introduce

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 紹介し | しょうかいし | shōkai shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 紹介し | しょうかいし | shōkai shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 紹介する | しょうかいする | shōkai suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 紹介する | しょうかいする | shōkai suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 紹介すれ | しょうかいすれ | shōkai sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 紹介せよ¹ 紹介しろ² | しょうかいせよ¹ しょうかいしろ² | shōkai seyo¹ shōkai shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 紹介される | しょうかいされる | shōkai sareru |
| Causative | 紹介させる 紹介さす | しょうかいさせる しょうかいさす | shōkai saseru shōkai sasu |
| Potential | 紹介できる | しょうかいできる | shōkai dekiru |
| Volitional | 紹介しよう | しょうかいしよう | shōkai shiyō |
| Negative | 紹介しない | しょうかいしない | shōkai shinai |
| Negative continuative | 紹介せず | しょうかいせず | shōkai sezu |
| Formal | 紹介します | しょうかいします | shōkai shimasu |
| Perfective | 紹介した | しょうかいした | shōkai shita |
| Conjunctive | 紹介して | しょうかいして | shōkai shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 紹介すれば | しょうかいすれば | shōkai sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||

### See also

* 初(はじ)めまして (hajimemashite)
* どうぞよろしく (dōzo yoroshiku)

### References

* 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 紹 | 介 |

### Noun

紹介 • (so'gae) (hangeul 소개)
* hanja form of 소개 (“introduction”)