# 兼

| 兼 | U+517C, &#20860; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-517C |
| ← 养 [U+517B] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 兽 → [U+517D] |

## Translingual

| Traditional | 兼 |
| Simplified | 兼 |
| Japanese | 兼 |
| Korean | 兼 |

### Han character

兼 (Kangxi radical 12, 八+8, 10 strokes, cangjie input 廿難金 (TXC), four-corner 8023$_7$, composition ⿱䒑⿻⿻コ卄八(GHTJV) or ⿳八一⿻⿻コ卄八(K))

#### Derived characters

* 傔 嗛 嫌 尲 嵰 㡘 慊 搛 槏 溓 熑 㽐 稴 縑(缣) 膁 謙(谦) 豏 賺(赚) 鎌(𰾮) 隒 馦 魐 鰜(鳒) 鹻 鼸 劆 歉 甉 鶼(鹣) 蒹 凲 鬑 廉 亷 𫇗 𡰉 𠪊 𢋯 𠔳

#### Related characters

* 禾

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 128, character 11
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1483
* Dae Jaweon: page 288, character 14
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 249, character 8
* Unihan data for U+517C

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 兼 :
| Spring and Autumn | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| Bronze inscriptionsb11167Small seal scripts05098Transcribed ancient scriptsL33971L33972L33973L33974L33975L13088L13089L13090L13091L13092L13093L13094 |||
| 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 |
| 譧 | *r'eːms |
| 賺 | *r'eːms |
| 尲 | *kreːm |
| 鹻 | *kreːmʔ |
| 歉 | *kʰreːms, *kʰreːmʔ, *kʰeːmʔ, *kʰeːms |
| 槏 | *kʰreːmʔ |
| 鰜 | *ɡreːm, *keːm |
| 稴 | *ɡreːm, *ɡ·reːm, *ɡ·reːmʔ, *ɡ·reːms, *ɡeːm |
| 豏 | *ɡreːmʔ, *ɡreːms |
| 甉 | *ɡreːmʔ, *ɡraːm |
| 廉 | *ɡ·rem |
| 鎌 | *ɡ·rem |
| 鬑 | *ɡ·rem, *ɡ·reːm |
| 鐮 | *ɡ·rem |
| 簾 | *ɡ·rem |
| 薕 | *ɡ·rem, *ɡ·reːm |
| 蠊 | *ɡ·rem |
| 嬚 | *ɡ·remʔ |
| 溓 | *ɡ·remʔ, *ɡ·reːm, *ɡ·reːmʔ |
| 嵰 | *kʰremʔ |
| 隒 | *ŋɡremʔ |
| 熑 | *ɡ·reːm |
| 濂 | *ɡ·reːm |
| 燫 | *ɡ·reːm |
| 兼 | *keːm, *keːms |
| 縑 | *keːm |
| 鶼 | *keːm |
| 蒹 | *keːm |
| 搛 | *keːm |
| 謙 | *kʰeːm |
| 膁 | *kʰeːmʔ |
| 嗛 | *kʰeːmʔ |
| 慊 | *kʰeːmʔ, *kʰeːb |
| 傔 | *kʰeːms |
| 馦 | *qʰeːm |
| 嫌 | *ɡeːm |
| 鼸 | *ɡeːmʔ |
| 尷 | *kreːm |
Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): Hand 又 (as in 肀) holding two grain stalks 禾. Compare: 秉 (bǐng), a hand holding one plant.

### Etymology

Austroasiatic (Schuessler, 2007); compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *ckiəm ~ ckəm ~ ckam ~ ckaim (“to grasp, to hold”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): jiān (jian$^1$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄢ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gim$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): kiâm
    (Hailu, HRS): giam$^ˋ$
* Eastern Min (BUC): giĕng
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): gieng$^1$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kiam
    (Teochew, Peng'im): giam$^1$ / giang$^1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: jiān
*** Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: jian
*** Wade–Giles: chien$^1$
*** Yale: jyān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jian
*** Palladius: цзянь (czjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gim$^1$
*** Yale: gīm
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gim$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gim$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kiːm⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiâm
*** Hakka Romanization System: giam$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: giam$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /ki̯am²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: giam$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /kiam⁵³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: giĕng
*** Sinological IPA : /kieŋ⁵⁵/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: gieng$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kiɛŋ⁵³³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiam
*** Tâi-lô: kiam
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kiafm
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kiam⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kiam³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kiam⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kiam⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kiam⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: giam$^1$ / giang$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kiam / kiang
*** Sinological IPA : /kiam³³/, /kiaŋ³³/
* giam1 - Chaozhou, Shantou, Chenghai, Chaoyang, Jieyang, Pontianak;
* giang1 - Chenghai.
* Middle Chinese: kem, kemH
Rime :
| Character | 兼 | 兼 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 添 (157) | 添 (157) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | IV | IV |
| Fanqie | 古甜切 | 古念切 |
| Baxter | kem | kemH |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kem/ | /kem$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kem/ | /kem$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kɛm/ | /kɛm$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kɛm/ | /kɛm$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /kem/ | /kem$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /kiem/ | /kiem$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kiem/ | /kiem$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | jiān | jiàn |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gim$^1$ | gim$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤem/
    (Zhengzhang): /*keːm/, /*keːms/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 兼 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | jiān |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kem › |
| Old Chinese | /*[k]ˁem/ |
| English | combine; at the same time |
| 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 | 兼 | 兼 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| No. | 6063 | 6069 |
| Phonetic component | 兼 | 兼 |
| Rime group | 談 | 談 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 兼 | 兼 |
| Old Chinese | /*keːm/ | /*keːms/ |
| Notes | | 別分紀念切，集韻並 |

### Definitions

兼
* to do two or more things simultaneously; to hold a concurrent post or role; to combine
       zǒnglǐ jiān wàijiāobùzhǎng [Pinyin]
       Prime Minister and concurrently Minister of Foreign Affairs
    教練兼隊員／教练兼队员 ― jiàoliàn jiān duìyuán ― player-coach; playing coach
    兼管 ― jiānguǎn ― to concurrently be in charge of
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Yú, wǒ suǒyù yě; xióngzhǎng, yì wǒ suǒyù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě yú ér qǔ xióngzhǎng zhě yě. Shēng, yì wǒ suǒyù yě; yì, yì wǒ suǒyù yě, èr zhě bùkě dé jiān, shě shēng ér qǔ yì zhě yě. [Pinyin]
    I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like justice. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose justice.
* concurrently; simultaneously; combining; both
    兼有兩性特徵的／兼有两性特征的 ― jiān yǒu liǎng xìng tèzhēng de ― having both sexual characteristics; androgynous
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) double
    兼程 ― jiānchéng ― to travel at double speed
    兼旬 ― jiānxún ― twenty days
    From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE
    Zǐyuē: “Qiú yě tuì, gù jìn zhī; Yóu yě jiān rén, gù tuì zhī.” [Pinyin]
    The Master said: "(Ran) Qiu holds himself back. It is for this reason that I tried to urge him on. (Zhong) You has the energy of two men. It is for this reason that I tried to hold him back."
* to amalgamate, to merge
    From: 賈誼 (Jia Yi),《過秦論》("Discourse on Qin's Faults")
    Yuē cóng lí héng, jiān Hán, Wèi, Yān, Chǔ, Qí, Zhào, Sòng, Wèi, Zhōngshān zhī zhòng. [Pinyin]
    They formed the Vertical Alliance and spurned the Horizontal Alliance, amalgamating the multitudes of Hán, Wèi, Yān, Chǔ, Zhào, Sòng, Wèy, and Zhōngshān.
* to annex, to absorb
    From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4th century BCE
    Wǔ, xiàn yǐxià, jiān guó duō yǐ. [Pinyin]
    From Wu and Xian afterwards, many states have been annexed (by Jin).
    From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCE, translated based on W. K. Liao's version
    Wànchéng zhī zhǔ yǒunéng fú shù xíngfǎ, yǐ wéi wángzhēng zhī jūn fēngyǔ zhě, qí jiāntiānxià bùnán yǐ. [Pinyin]
    If the sovereign of ten thousand chariots can exercise tact and enforce law and thereby function as gale and rain to rulers having portents of ruin, his annexation of All-under-Heaven will not be difficult.
    From: 794 CE', 陸贄 (Lu Zhi), 均節賦稅恤百姓六條 (Six Proposals to Reform Taxation and to Help Out the Common People)
    Fùzhě jiāndì shù wàn mǔ, pínzhě wú róngzú zhī jū. [Pinyin]
    The rich enclose several myriad acres of lands; the poor have no spot to dwell and stand their feet.
* a surname

### Compounds

* 併兼 / 并兼
* 倍道兼行
* 倍道兼進 / 倍道兼进
* 公私兼顧 / 公私兼顾 (gōngsījiāngù)
* 兼之 (jiānzhī)
* 兼人
* 兼任 (jiānrèn)
* 兼併 / 兼并 (jiānbìng)
* 兼倍
* 兼修 (jiānxiū)
* 兼備 / 兼备 (jiānbèi)
* 兼具 (jiānjù)
* 兼味
* 兼善
* 兼善天下
* 兼容並蓄 / 兼容并蓄
* 兼容并包
* 兼差 (jiānchāi)
* 兼弱攻昧
* 兼愛 / 兼爱 (jiān'ài)
* 兼掌
* 兼收並蓄 / 兼收并蓄 (jiānshōubìngxù)
* 兼旬 (jiānxún)
* 兼權熟計 / 兼权熟计
* 兼毫
* 兼濟 / 兼济
* 兼營 / 兼营
* 兼用 (jiānyòng)
* 兼祧 (jiāntiāo)
* 兼程 (jiānchéng)
* 兼管 (jiānguǎn)
* 兼籌並顧 / 兼筹并顾
* 兼署
* 兼而有之 (jiān'éryǒuzhī)
* 兼職 / 兼职 (jiānzhí)
* 兼聽 / 兼听
* 兼行
* 兼課 / 兼课 (jiānkè)
* 兼辦 / 兼办
* 兼通
* 兼金
* 兼顧 / 兼顾 (jiāngù)
* 剿撫兼施
* 勦撫兼施 / 剿抚兼施
* 名利兼收
* 品學兼優 / 品学兼优 (pǐnxuéjiānyōu)
* 威德兼施
* 并兼
* 德容兼備 / 德容兼备
* 德才兼備 / 德才兼备 (décáijiānbèi)
* 悲喜兼集
* 愁懼兼心 / 愁惧兼心
* 才兼文武
* 才勇兼優 / 才勇兼优
* 才學兼優 / 才学兼优
* 才德兼備 / 才德兼备 (cáidéjiānbèi)
* 文武兼備 / 文武兼备
* 文武兼濟 / 文武兼济
* 文武兼資 / 文武兼资
* 方面兼圻
* 晝夜兼行 / 昼夜兼行
* 智勇兼全 (zhìyǒng jiān quán)
* 材能兼備 / 材能兼备
* 術德兼修 / 术德兼修
* 衣不兼采
* 謀勇兼備 / 谋勇兼备
* 軟硬兼施 / 软硬兼施 (ruǎn-yìng jiānshī)
* 食不兼味

## Japanese

| Shinjitai | 兼 |
| Kyūjitai | 兼󠄁 兼+&#xE0101; (Adobe-Japan1) |
| Kyūjitai | 兼󠄄 兼+&#xE0104; (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho) |
| The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details. |||

### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)

#### Readings

* Go-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
* Kun: かねる (kaneru, 兼ねる, Jōyō)

#### Compounds

* 兼営
* 兼官
* 兼業
* 兼勤
* 兼言
* 兼行
* 兼修
* 兼職
* 兼摂
* 兼帯
* 兼題
* 兼任
* 兼備
* 兼併
* 兼補
* 兼務
* 兼有
* 兼用

### Etymology

* Kanji in this term
* 兼
* けん Grade: S
* on'yomi
/kem/ → /kemʉ/ → /keɴ/
From Middle Chinese 兼 (MC kem|kemH).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) けん [kéꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [kẽ̞ɴ]

### Conjunction

兼(けん) • (-ken-)
* -cum-, concurrently, and; in addition
    書(しょ)斎(さい)兼(けん)応(おう)接(せつ)間(ま)
       shosai-ken-ōsetsuma
       study-cum-drawing room
    首(しゅ)相(しょう)兼(けん)外(がい)相(しょう)
       shushō-ken-gaishō
       someone who holds the offices of both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister

### Noun

兼(けん) • (ken)
* doing two or more things at the same time
* holding two or more government offices at the same time

#### Derived terms

* 兼(けん)す (kensu), 兼(けん)ず (kenzu)

### Proper noun

兼(けん) • (Ken)
* a male given name

### References

* ↑ “兼”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎ (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean
### Hanja

兼 (eumhun 겸할 겸 (gyeomhal gyeom))
* hanja form of 겸 (“unite, connect, combine”)

## Vietnamese
### Han character

兼: Hán Nôm readings: kiêm

### Conjunction

兼
* chữ Hán form of kiêm (“Used to join the names of multiple positions or jobs of the same person; and.”).