# 然諾
## Chinese
### Etymology

Both characters were interjections used to express agreement to the other speaker in Old Chinese. For example:
    季曰：「吾見鬼乎？」 婦人曰：「然。」 「爲之奈何？」 曰：「取五牲之矢浴之。」 季曰：「諾。」 乃浴以矢。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]季曰：「吾见鬼乎？」 妇人曰：「然。」 「为之奈何？」 曰：「取五牲之矢浴之。」 季曰：「诺。」 乃浴以矢。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCEJì yuē: “Wú jiàn guǐ hū?” Fùrén yuē: “Rán.” “wèi zhī nàihé?” Yuē: “Qǔ wǔ shēng zhī shǐ yù zhī.” Jì yuē: “Nuò.” Nǎi yù yǐ shǐ. [Pinyin]“Have I seen a ghost?” “Certainly.” “What shall I do then?” “Get the dung of the five animals [namely: oxen, sheep, pigs, dogs, and fowls] and bathe in it.” “All right.” said Chi. So he bathed in the dung.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): ránnuò
    (Zhuyin): ㄖㄢˊ ㄋㄨㄛˋ
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: ránnuò
*** Zhuyin: ㄖㄢˊ ㄋㄨㄛˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: ránnuò
*** Wade–Giles: jan$^2$-no$^4$
*** Yale: rán-nwò
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rannuoh
*** Palladius: жаньно (žanʹno)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʐän³⁵ nu̯ɔ⁵¹/
* Middle Chinese: nyen nak
Rime :
| Character | 然 | 諾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 日 (38) | 泥 (8) |
| Final (韻) | 仙 (77) | 鐸 (103) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | I |
| Fanqie | 如延切 | 奴各切 |
| Baxter | nyen | nak |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ȵiᴇn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ȵiɛn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ȵʑjæn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ȵian/ | /nak̚/ |
| Li Rong | /ȵiɛn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Wang Li | /ȵʑĭɛn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ȵʑi̯ɛn/ | /nɑk̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | rán | nuò |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | jin$^4$ | nok$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[n]a[n] nˤak/
    (Zhengzhang): /*njen naːɡ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 然 | 諾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | rán | nuò |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ nyen › | ‹ nak › |
| Old Chinese | /*[n]a[n]/ | /*nˁak/ |
| English | so, thus; (adv suffix) | agree, say yes |
| 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 | 然 | 諾 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 10756 | 10934 |
| Phonetic component | 肰 | 若 |
| Rime group | 元 | 鐸 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 然 | 諾 |
| Old Chinese | /*njen/ | /*naːɡ/ |

### Verb

然諾
* (literary) to agree; to promise
    From: c. 8th century, 張謂 (Zhāng Wèi),《題長安壁主人》 (An Inscription on the Host of Chang'an Wall)
    Zònglìng ránnuò zàn xiāngxǔ, zhōng shì yōuyōu xínglù xīn. [Pinyin]
    Though one has made temporary verbal promises, His heart remains as cold as an alien stranger's.

#### Synonyms

* 允諾 / 允诺 (yǔnnuò)
* 應 / 应 (yìng)
* 應承 / 应承 (yìngchéng)
* 應許 / 应许 (yīngxǔ)
* 應諾 / 应诺 (yìngnuò) (literary)
* 承允 (chéngyǔn)
* 承應 / 承应 (chéngyìng)
* 承當 / 承当 (chéngdāng) (regional)
* 承諾 / 承诺 (chéngnuò)
* 接應 / 接应 (zie$^6$ in$^4$) (Xiang)
* 答應 / 答应 (dāyìng)
* 許諾 / 许诺 (xǔnuò)

#### Derived terms

* 重然諾 / 重然诺 (zhòngránnuò)