史

See also: 吏 and 更

史 U+53F2, 史 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-53F2 ← 叱 [U+53F1] CJK Unified Ideographs 右 → [U+53F3]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

史 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 中大 (LK), four-corner 5000₆, composition ⿻口乂)

Derived characters

• 㳏, 鉂, 駛(驶), 𫢓, 𫩢, 𡶈, 𣐳, 𥑏, 𭨮, 𧲬, 𩰡, 𪗧, 𫙓, 𮍸, 𭨡, 𪀎, 𨽄, 𩂝, 𣬐, 𭉅, 𪠷, 𭆾
• 𰁈, 𰓐, 𰥶, 𰶽, 𰛘, 𰝓, 𰑗

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 173, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3249
• Dae Jaweon: page 384, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 571, character 2
• Unihan data for U+53F2

Chinese

simp. and trad.		史
alternative forms		㕜

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 史
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

	Old Chinese
吏	*rɯs
倳	*ʔsrɯs
剚	*ʔsrɯs
事	*ʔsrɯs, *zrɯs
史	*srɯʔ
使	*srɯʔ, *srɯs
駛	*srɯʔ, *srɯs

Characters in the same phonetic series (史) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

Pictogram (象形) – 又 (OC *ɢʷɯs, “hand”) holding a stylized flag almost identical to 中 (OC *tuŋ, *tuŋs) perhaps to indicate a representative or ambassador (see its variant 吏 used in 使 to mean "ambassador"). As an alternative, it holds either a pen or a hunting weapon resembling similar to 中. Hence, the inner component 中 is partly unclear.

The whole character originally indicates the act of taking notes; today, it means "history". Compare 事.

Etymology

"to send, to employ, to cause"

Causative derivation of 理 (OC rəʔ) "envoy (Zuo)" , "jail-official" (Guanzi), "marriage go-between", which is perhaps the same word as 理 (OC rəʔ) "to administer" (Schuessler 2007); the sense "scribe, historian" is derived from this.

"scribe, historian"

Possibly from Austroasiatic; Schuessler (2007) compared 理 (OC *rɯʔ), 吏 (OC *rɯs, “official”), 史 (OC *srɯʔ, “scribe, historian”), and 使 (OC *srɯʔ, *srɯs, “ambassador”) to Old Khmer re (“to move, change position”) & its derivatives Old Khmer pre (“to send, order, assign, appoint, delegate, use, employ, make”), in turn related to paṃre (“to serve; service, duty; servant, delegate, representative, minister”); with Sino-Tibetan causative *s- corresponding to Khmer causative *p-.

Alternatively, Unger (1990) and Starostin & Peiros (1996) derived 史 (OC *srɯʔ) "scribe, secretary" from 理 (OC *rɯʔ) "to mark, to draw lines", which, while cognate with Tibetan འབྲི ('bri, “to write, to draw”), apparently never meant "to write, to record".

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	史
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	踈士切
Baxter	sriX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʃɨX/
Pan Wuyun	/ʃɨX/
Shao Rongfen	/ʃieX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʂɨX/
Li Rong	/ʃiəX/
Wang Li	/ʃĭəX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʂiX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si2

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	史
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ sriX ›
Old Chinese	/*s-rəʔ/
English	scribe
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	史
Reading #	1/1
No.	11487
Phonetic component	史
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	史
Old Chinese	/*srɯʔ/

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): shǐ (shi³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˇ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): сы (sɨ, III)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): si²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhu²

• Gan (Wiktionary): si³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sṳ́

  (Meixian, Guangdong): si³

• Jin (Wiktionary): si²
• Northern Min (KCR): sǔ
• Eastern Min (BUC): sṳ̄
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): so³
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sú / sír / sí / sái

  (Teochew, Peng'im): se² / su²

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵sy
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): shr³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shǐh
    • Wade–Giles: shih³
    • Yale: shř
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyy
    • Palladius: ши (ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩²¹⁴/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: сы (sɨ, III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: si²
    • Yale: sí
    • Cantonese Pinyin: si²
    • Guangdong Romanization: xi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: lhu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬu⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: si³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ́
    • Hakka Romanization System: sii^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: si³
    • Sinological IPA: /sɨ³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: si³
    • Sinological IPA: /sz̩³¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: si²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /sz̩⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sǔ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /su²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sṳ̄
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sy³³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: so³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬo⁴⁵³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: so³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬɵ³³²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sú
    • Tâi-lô: sú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: suo
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /su⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /su⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sír
    • Tâi-lô: sír
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sí
    • Tâi-lô: sí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sie
    • IPA (Philippines): /si⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sái
    • Tâi-lô: sái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sae
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /sai⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sai⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /sai⁴¹/

Note:

• sír/sú/sí - literary;
• sái - vernacular.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: se² / su²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sṳ́ / sú
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɯ⁵²/, /su⁵²/
Note: su2 - Chaoyang, Puning, Huilai.
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵sy
    • MiniDict: sy^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²sr
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sz̩³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: shr³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /ʂʐ̩⁴¹/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /sz̩⁴¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: sriX

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s-rəʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*srɯʔ/

Definitions

史

1. history

   歐洲史／欧洲史  ―  Ōuzhōu shǐ  ―  European history

   近代史  ―  jìndàishǐ  ―  modern history

   史無前例／史无前例  ―  shǐwúqiánlì  ―  unprecedented (literally, “no precedent in history”)

2. (historical) court historian; scribe

   • 動則左史書之，言則右史書之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     动则左史书之，言则右史书之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Dòng zé zuǒshǐ shū zhī, yán zé yòushǐ shū zhī. [Pinyin]

     His actions were written down by the recorder of the Left, and his utterances by the recorder of the Right.

   • 董狐，古之良史也，書法不隱。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     董狐，古之良史也，书法不隐。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Dǒng Hú, gǔ zhī liángshǐ yě, shūfǎ bù yǐn. [Pinyin]

     Dong Hu was a good historiographer of old time:—his rule for writing was not to conceal.

3. historical record; book recording history

   正史  ―  zhèngshǐ  ―  official historical records

   《二十四史》  ―  “èrshísìshǐ”  ―  Twenty-Four Histories

4. a surname

   史可法  ―  Shǐ Kěfǎ  ―  Shi Kefa

Compounds

• 三史
• 二十五史
• 二十六史
• 二十四史 (Èrshísì Shǐ)
• 五代史
• 令史 (lìngshǐ)
• 仿連史紙 / 仿连史纸
• 佞史
• 信史 (xìnshǐ)
• 修史 (xiūshǐ)
• 儒林外史 (Rúlín Wàishǐ)
• 元史
• 元祕史 / 元秘史
• 內史 / 内史 (nèishǐ)
• 六經皆史 / 六经皆史
• 別史 / 别史 (biéshǐ)
• 刺史 (cìshǐ)
• 刺史天
• 北史 (Běishǐ)
• 南史
• 南史氏
• 口述歷史 / 口述历史 (kǒushù lìshǐ)
• 史不絕書 / 史不绝书
• 史乘
• 史冊 / 史册 (shǐcè)
• 史前史 (shǐqiánshǐ)
• 史前時代 / 史前时代 (shǐqián shídài)
• 右史
• 古史 (gǔshǐ)
• 史可法
• 史奴比 (Shǐnúbǐ)
• 史學 / 史学 (shǐxué)
• 史官 (shǐguān)
• 史家 (shǐjiā)
• 史密斯 (Shǐmìsī)
• 史實 / 史实 (shǐshí)
• 史思明
• 史懷哲 / 史怀哲
• 史撥尼克 / 史拨尼克 (si2 but6 nei4 hak1)
• 史文赫丁
• 史料 (shǐliào)
• 史晨碑
• 史書 / 史书 (shǐshū)
• 史游
• 史無前例 / 史无前例 (shǐwúqiánlì)
• 史特勞斯 / 史特劳斯
• 史瓦濟蘭 / 史瓦济兰 (Shǐwǎjìlán)
• 史祠 (Shǐcí)
• 史筆 / 史笔 (shǐbǐ)
• 史籀
• 史籀篇
• 史籍 (shǐjí)
• 史萊姆 / 史莱姆 (shǐláimǔ)
• 史蒂芬生
• 史記 / 史记 (Shǐjì)
• 史評 / 史评
• 史詩 / 史诗 (shǐshī)
• 史賓塞 / 史宾塞
• 史跡 / 史迹 (shǐjì)
• 史迪威 (Shǐdíwēi)
• 史通
• 史達林 / 史达林 (Shǐdálín)
• 史遷 / 史迁
• 史部
• 史鈔 / 史钞
• 史鑑 / 史鉴
• 史館 / 史馆
• 史魚 / 史鱼
• 史鰌 / 史鳅
• 名垂青史 (míngchuíqīngshǐ)
• 名標青史 / 名标青史
• 唯物史觀 / 唯物史观 (wéiwù shǐguān)
• 四史
• 國別史 / 国别史 (guóbiéshǐ)
• 國史 / 国史 (guóshǐ)
• 國史館 / 国史馆
• 地球史
• 外史 (wàishǐ)
• 大掾史
• 大柱史
• 太史 (tàishǐ)
• 太史令 (tàishǐ lìng)
• 太史公 (Tàishǐgōng)
• 女史 (nǚshǐ)
• 安史之亂 / 安史之乱 (Ān Shǐ Zhī Luàn)
• 宋史
• 將兵長史 / 将兵长史
• 小史
• 左史
• 左圖右史 / 左图右史 (zuǒtúyòushǐ)
• 廌史
• 御史 (yùshǐ)
• 御史大夫 (yùshǐ dàfū)
• 御史臺 / 御史台
• 御史雨
• 思想史 (sīxiǎngshǐ)
• 戰史 / 战史 (zhànshǐ)
• 才如史遷 / 才如史迁
• 政治史
• 教育史
• 文史 (wénshǐ)
• 文學史 / 文学史 (wénxuéshǐ)
• 新五代史
• 新元史
• 斷代史 / 断代史 (duàndàishǐ)
• 書史 / 书史
• 有史以來 / 有史以来 (yǒushǐyǐlái)
• 朝經暮史 / 朝经暮史
• 枕經藉史 / 枕经借史
• 柱下史
• 樂史 / 乐史
• 正史 (zhèngshǐ)
• 歷史 / 历史 (lìshǐ)
• 歷史劇 / 历史剧
• 歷史名詞 / 历史名词
• 歷史學 / 历史学 (lìshǐxué)
• 歷史小說 / 历史小说 (lìshǐ xiǎoshuō)
• 歷史年表 / 历史年表
• 歷史文學 / 历史文学
• 歷史時代 / 历史时代
• 歷史線圖 / 历史线图 (lìshǐ xiàn tú)
• 歷史觀 / 历史观 (lìshǐguān)
• 歷史語詞 / 历史语词
• 歷史重演 / 历史重演
• 民生史觀 / 民生史观
• 津史
• 清史稿
• 漁經獵史 / 渔经猎史
• 班史
• 現代史 / 现代史
• 琴史
• 畫史 / 画史
• 病史 (bìngshǐ)
• 監察御史 / 监察御史
• 眉史
• 瞽史 (gǔshǐ)
• 石刻史料
• 研經鑄史 / 研经铸史
• 硯史 / 砚史
• 祕史 / 秘史 (mìshǐ)
• 祝史
• 私史
• 稗史
• 稗官野史 (bàiguānyěshǐ)
• 穢史 / 秽史
• 經史子集 / 经史子集 (jīngshǐzǐjí)
• 經史笥 / 经史笥
• 經濟史觀 / 经济史观
• 編年史 / 编年史 (biānniánshǐ)
• 繡衣御史 / 绣衣御史
• 繹史 / 绎史
• 羅曼史 / 罗曼史 (luómànshǐ)
• 美術史 / 美术史 (měishùshǐ)
• 腐史
• 舊五代史 / 旧五代史
• 良史 (liángshǐ)
• 花史
• 荷馬史詩 / 荷马史诗
• 蕭史 / 萧史
• 藏室史
• 蘭臺令史 / 兰台令史
• 西洋史
• 詠史詩 / 咏史诗
• 詩史 / 诗史 (shīshǐ)
• 講史 / 讲史
• 豔史 / 艳史
• 路史
• 近世史
• 通史 (tōngshǐ)
• 連史紙 / 连史纸
• 野史 (yěshǐ)
• 金史
• 鐵面御史 / 铁面御史
• 長史 / 长史 (zhǎngshǐ)
• 開化史 / 开化史
• 雜史 / 杂史
• 青史 (qīngshǐ)
• 青史傳名 / 青史传名 (qīngshǐchuánmíng)
• 青史名留
• 青史流芳
• 青史留名
• 韻史 / 韵史
• 麟史 (Línshǐ)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
史
Grade: 5

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 史

史

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. record, recording
2. history

Readings

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• On: じ (ji)
• Kun: ふひと (fuhito, 史)、ふびと (fubito, 史)、ふみ (fumi, 史)、さかん (sakan)

Proper noun

史(ひろし) • (Hiroshi) 

1. a male given name

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 史 (MC sriX).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	ᄉᆞᆼ〯 (Yale: sǒ)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527	ᄉᆞ〯긧〮 (Yale: sǒkúy-s)	ᄉᆞ〯 (Yale: sǒ)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [사(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

史

Wikisource 史 (eumhun 사기(史記) 사 (sagi sa))

1. hanja form^? of 사 (“history”) [noun, suffix]

Compounds

• 국사 (國史, guksa)
• 사상 (史上, sasang)
• 사적 (史的, sajeok)
• 사적 (史跡, sajeok)
• 사학 (史學, sahak)
• 역사 (歷史, yeoksa)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Vietnamese

Han character

史: Hán Nôm readings: sử

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