# 貞

| 貞 | U+8C9E, &#35998; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8C9E |
| ← 貝 [U+8C9D] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 貟 → [U+8C9F] |

## Translingual
### Han character

貞 (Kangxi radical 154, 貝+2, 9 strokes, cangjie input 卜月山金 (YBUC), four-corner 2180$_6$, composition ⿱⺊貝)

#### Derived characters

* 偵, 𫨫, 𠸩, 𡎞, 媜, 幀, 𢔤, 𫺤, 揁, 湞, 𨺟, 楨, 𤋺, 𤦹, 禎, 𧶃, 碵, 禎, 𬓲, 𬡥, 𣦓, 緽, 𬢵, 𧶸, 赬, 𮛶, 䡠, 𥢆, 鍞, 𪺘, 𫖙, 𩹰, 𪍕, 𪑳
* 遉, 𰷺, 𢒟, 𨜓, 𠭹, 𫁅, 𫖣, 𫧸, 寊, 𦵄, 𥢅, 𤸘, 𭵐, 𥕫, 𮚯

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 1204, character 3
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36658
* Dae Jaweon: page 1665, character 4
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3622, character 3
* Unihan data for U+8C9E

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 貞 :
| Shang | Western Zhou | Spring and Autumn | Warring States | Warring States | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Bronze inscriptions | Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Qin slip script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 偵 | *rtaːŋs, *tʰeŋ, *tʰeŋs |
| 幀 | *rtɯːŋs |
| 湞 | *rdeːŋ, *teŋ |
| 貞 | *teŋ |
| 楨 | *teŋ |
| 禎 | *teŋ |
| 赬 | *tʰeŋ |
| 遉 | *tʰeŋs |
Pictogram (象形) - a ding (oracle bone script , ; same as 鼎 (OC *kleːŋʔ)). Borrowed phonetically for “to divine”; however, bronze tripods in ancient China were sometimes used during rituals. Later, a new character was created by adding 卜 (“to divine”) as a radical, hence a semantic component, thus getting 鼑 (oracle bone script ; bronze script . The bottom component was stylized into the unrelated 貝 during the Warring States. Compare 𠟭 > 則.

### Etymology

Various comparisons have been proposed. Within Chinese, it has been compared to 偵 (OC *tʰeŋ, “to test; to detect”) (Schuessler, 2007), 正 (OC *tjeŋs, “correct; right”) (Sagart and Ma, 2020). Outside of Chinese, it has been compared to Tibetan དྲང་པོ (drang po, “straight”) (Sagart, 2020b).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): zhēn (zhen$^1$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄓㄣ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): zen$^1$
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): zing$^1$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): zen$^1$
* Gan (Wiktionary): ziin$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): chṳ̂n
    (Meixian, Guangdong): zen$^1$
* Jin (Wiktionary): zeng$^1$
* Northern Min (KCR): déng
* Eastern Min (BUC): dĭng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): cheng / chin
    (Teochew, Peng'im): zêng$^1$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^1$tsen
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): zhen$^1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: zhēn
*** Zhuyin: ㄓㄣ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jhen
*** Wade–Giles: chên$^1$
*** Yale: jēn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jen
*** Palladius: чжэнь (čžɛnʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: zen$^1$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zen
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sən⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: zing$^1$
*** Yale: jīng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: dzing$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: jing$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: zen$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sen³³/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: ziin$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sɨn⁴²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chṳ̂n
*** Hakka Romanization System: ziin$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: zin$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sɨn²⁴/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: zen$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sən⁴⁴/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: zeng$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡səŋ¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: déng
*** Sinological IPA : /teiŋ⁵⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: dĭng
*** Sinological IPA : /tiŋ⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Changtai, Zhangpu, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: cheng
*** Tâi-lô: tsing
*** Phofsit Daibuun: zefng
*** IPA (Zhangpu): /t͡sɛŋ⁵⁵/
*** IPA (Hui'an): /t͡seŋ³³/
*** IPA (Changtai): /t͡seŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /t͡siɪŋ³³/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /t͡siɪŋ⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: Longyan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chin
*** Tâi-lô: tsin
*** Phofsit Daibuun: cyn
*** IPA (Longyan): /t͡sin³³⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: zêng$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tseng
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡seŋ³³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^1$tsen
*** MiniDict: tsen$^平$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$tsen
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sən⁵³/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: zhen$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /ʈ͡ʂən³³/
*** Sinological IPA (new-style): /t͡sən³³/
* Dialectal data
| Variety | Location | edit貞 |
| Mandarin | Beijing | /ʈ͡ʂən⁵⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Harbin | /ʈ͡ʂən⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Tianjin | /ʈ͡ʂən²¹/ /t͡sən²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Jinan | /ʈ͡ʂəŋ²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Qingdao | /tʃəŋ²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Zhengzhou | /ʈ͡ʂəŋ²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Xi'an | /ʈ͡ʂẽ²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Xining | /ʈ͡ʂə̃⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Yinchuan | /ʈ͡ʂəŋ⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Lanzhou | /ʈ͡ʂə̃n³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Ürümqi | /ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Wuhan | /t͡sən⁵⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Chengdu | /t͡sən⁵⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Guiyang | /t͡sen⁵⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Kunming | /ʈ͡ʂə̃⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Nanjing | /ʈ͡ʂən³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Hefei | /ʈ͡ʂən²¹/ |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /t͡səŋ¹¹/ |
| Jin | Pingyao | /ʈ͡ʂəŋ¹³/ |
| Jin | Hohhot | /t͡sə̃ŋ³¹/ |
| Wu | Shanghai | /t͡səŋ⁵³/ |
| Wu | Suzhou | /t͡sən⁵⁵/ |
| Wu | Hangzhou | /t͡sen³³/ |
| Wu | Wenzhou | /t͡seŋ³³/ |
| Hui | Shexian | /t͡ɕiʌ̃³¹/ |
| Hui | Tunxi | /t͡ɕiɛ¹¹/ |
| Xiang | Changsha | /ʈ͡ʂən³³/ |
| Xiang | Xiangtan | /ʈ͡ʂən³³/ |
| Gan | Nanchang | /t͡sɨn⁴²/ |
| Hakka | Meixian | /t͡sən⁴⁴/ |
| Hakka | Taoyuan | /tʃen²⁴/ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /t͡seŋ⁵³/ |
| Cantonese | Nanning | /t͡seŋ⁵⁵/ |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | /t͡siŋ⁵⁵/ |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /tiŋ⁵⁵/ /t͡siŋ⁵⁵/ |
| Min | Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /tiŋ⁴⁴/ |
| Min | Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /teiŋ⁵⁴/ |
| Min | Shantou (Teochew) | /t͡seŋ³³/ |
| Min | Haikou (Hainanese) | /t͡seŋ²³/ |
* Middle Chinese: trjeng
Rime :
| Character | 貞 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 知 (9) |
| Final (韻) | 清 (121) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 陟盈切 |
| Baxter | trjeng |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ʈiᴇŋ/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ʈiɛŋ/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ȶiæŋ/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ʈiajŋ/ |
| Li Rong | /ȶiɛŋ/ |
| Wang Li | /ȶĭɛŋ/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ȶi̯ɛŋ/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | zhēng |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | zing$^1$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*treŋ/
    (Zhengzhang): /*teŋ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 貞 | 貞 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | zhēn | zhēn |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ trjeng › | ‹ trjeng › |
| Old Chinese | /*treŋ/ | /*treŋ/ |
| English | straight; correct | divine (v.) |
| 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 | 貞 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 17027 |
| Phonetic component | 貞 |
| Rime group | 耕 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 貞 |
| Old Chinese | /*teŋ/ |
| Notes | 說文鼎省聲，甲文原假借鼎字 |

### Definitions

貞
* virtuous; chaste; pure
* loyal; faithful
    忠貞／忠贞 ― zhōngzhēn ― loyal and steadfast
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to divine
    From: 12th century BCE, Oracle bone Heji 32028
    Xīnwèi zhēn: hū hé yú hé, liáo sān láo, chén sān niú, yí láo. [Pinyin]
    Xīnwèi [day 8] divining: pray for the harvest to Hé, making a burnt offering of three penned oxen, submerging three oxen, and put the penned oxen on the sacrificial table.
    From: Rites of Zhou, circa 3rd century BCE
    Jìdōng, chén yù yǐ zhēn láisuì zhī měi'è. [Pinyin]
    In the last month of winter, set out precious stones and divine the good and ill of the year to come.

### Compounds

* 一念堅貞 / 一念坚贞
* 三貞九烈 / 三贞九烈
* 不貞 / 不贞 (bùzhēn)
* 九烈三貞 / 九烈三贞
* 堅貞 / 坚贞 (jiānzhēn)
* 堅貞不屈 / 坚贞不屈 (jiānzhēnbùqū)
* 女貞酒 / 女贞酒
* 守貞 / 守贞 (shǒuzhēn)
* 居貞 / 居贞
* 忠貞 / 忠贞 (zhōngzhēn)
* 忠貞不渝 / 忠贞不渝 (zhōngzhēnbùyú)
* 王義貞 / 王义贞 (Wángyìzhēn)
* 童貞 / 童贞 (tóngzhēn)
* 縮屋稱貞 / 缩屋称贞
* 義貞 / 义贞
* 聖女貞德 / 圣女贞德 (Shèngnǚ Zhēndé)
* 艱貞 / 艰贞
* 貞亮 / 贞亮 (zhēnliàng)
* 貞人 / 贞人 (zhēnrén)
* 貞卜文字 / 贞卜文字
* 貞固 / 贞固 (zhēngù)
* 貞士 / 贞士 (zhēnshì)
* 貞夫烈婦 / 贞夫烈妇
* 貞女 / 贞女 (zhēnnǚ)
* 貞女石 / 贞女石
* 貞婦 / 贞妇 (zhēnfù)
* 貞懿賢淑 / 贞懿贤淑
* 貞操 / 贞操 (zhēncāo)
* 貞木 / 贞木
* 貞淑 / 贞淑 (zhēnshū)
* 貞潔 / 贞洁 (zhēnjié)
* 貞烈 / 贞烈
* 貞白 / 贞白 (zhēnbái)
* 貞石 / 贞石
* 貞節 / 贞节 (zhēnjié)
* 貞節牌坊 / 贞节牌坊
* 貞臣 / 贞臣
* 貞蕤 / 贞蕤
* 貞觀 / 贞观 (Zhēnguàn)
* 貞觀之治 / 贞观之治
* 貞觀政要 / 贞观政要
* 貞靜 / 贞静
* 貞風亮節 / 贞风亮节
* 貞高絕俗 / 贞高绝俗

### References

* “貞”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
* Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A03928

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)
* virtue, faithfulness, uprighteousness
* chastity

#### Readings

* Go-on: ちょう (chō)
* Kan-on: てい (tei, Jōyō)
* Kan’yō-on: じょう (jō)
* Kun: ただしい (tadashii, 貞しい)
* Nanori: さだ (sada)

## Korean
### Hanja

貞 • (jeong) (hangeul 정, revised jeong, McCune–Reischauer chŏng, Yale ceng)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

貞: Hán Nôm readings: trinh, riêng, tranh
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.