昔

昔 U+6614, 昔 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6614 ← 易 [U+6613] CJK Unified Ideographs 昕 → [U+6615]

Translingual

Han character

昔 (Kangxi radical 72, 日+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 廿日 (TA), four-corner 4460₁, composition ⿱龷日)

1. formerly
2. ancient
3. in the beginning

Derived characters

• 借, 徣, 惜, 耤, 措, 腊, 猎, 醋, 錯 (错), 𰃩

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 492, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13816
• Dae Jaweon: page 855, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1488, character 11
• Unihan data for U+6614

Chinese

simp. and trad.		昔
alternative forms		㫺 ancient form 𣊦 ancient form 𦠡 ancient form

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 昔
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

	Old Chinese
借	*ʔsjaːɡs, *ʔsjaːɡ
唶	*ʔsjaːɡs
藉	*zjaːɡs, *zjaːɡ
躤	*zjaːɡs
蜡	*zraːɡs, *sʰaːɡs
齰	*zraːɡs, *zraːɡ
醋	*sʰaːɡs
錯	*sʰaːɡs, *sʰaːɡ
措	*sʰaːɡs
厝	*sʰaːɡs, *sʰaːɡ
逪	*sʰaːɡ
剒	*sʰaːɡ
鵲	*sʰaɡ
碏	*sʰaɡ
踖	*sʰaɡ, *ʔsjaːɡ, *zjaːɡ
趞	*sʰaɡ
皵	*sʰaɡ, *sʰjaːɡ
舄	*sʰjaːɡ, *sʰaɡ, *sjaːɡ, *sjaːɡ
斮	*ʔsraɡ, *ʔsraːɡ
簎	*zraːwɢ, *sʰraːɡ, *zjaːɡ
諎	*ʔsraːɡ
矠	*sʰreːɡ, *zreːɡ
庴	*ʔsjaːɡ, *zjaːɡ
籍	*zjaːɡ
耤	*zjaːɡ
猎	*zjaːɡ
昔	*sjaːɡ
惜	*sjaːɡ
腊	*sjaːɡ
焟	*sjaːɡ
棤	*sjaːɡ

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

Oracle bone form: Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 𡿧 (“disaster; floods”) + 日 (“sun”) – the flood submerging the sun; the former times.

Shuowen: Two pieces of flesh (仌) left to dry in the sun (日). Original form of 腊 (OC *sjaːɡ).

Similar but unrelated to 展, 共, and 散.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-r(j)ak (“night, full 24-hour day, spend the night”) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007). Wang (1982) relates this to 夕 (OC *ljaːɡ) and 夜 (OC *laːɡs); however, see those two entries for more.

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	昔
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	昔 (123)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	思積切
Baxter	sjek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siᴇk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/siɛk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/siæk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siajk̚/
Li Rong	/siɛk̚/
Wang Li	/sĭɛk̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/si̯ɛk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sik1

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	昔
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xī
Middle Chinese	‹ sjek ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]Ak/
English	in the past
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	昔
Reading #	1/1
No.	13309
Phonetic component	昔
Rime group	鐸
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	昔
Old Chinese	/*sjaːɡ/

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xī, xí

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ, ㄒㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sik¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sit

  (Meixian, Guangdong): xid⁵

• Eastern Min (BUC): sék
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): sih⁶
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sek / siak

  (Teochew, Peng'im): sêg⁴

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁷shiq

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xī
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: si
    • Wade–Giles: hsi¹
    • Yale: syī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shi
    • Palladius: си (si)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xí
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sí
    • Wade–Giles: hsi²
    • Yale: syí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyi
    • Palladius: си (si)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sik¹
    • Yale: sīk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sik⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: xig¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɪk̚⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sit
    • Hakka Romanization System: xid^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xid⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /sit̚²/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: xid⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /sit̚¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sék
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛiʔ²⁴/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: sih⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬiʔ¹/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: sih⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬiʔ²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sek
    • Tâi-lô: sik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: seg
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /siɪk̚³²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siak
    • Tâi-lô: siak
    • Phofsit Daibuun: siag
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /siak̚⁵/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: sêg⁴
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sek
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sek̚²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁷shiq
    • MiniDict: shih^入
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴xiq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕiɪʔ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: sjek

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s]Ak/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sjaːɡ/

Definitions

昔

1. ^⁜ former times; the past; long ago; ancient times

   • 昔去雪如花，今來花似雪。 [MSC, trad.]
     昔去雪如花，今来花似雪。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 范雲, 《別詩》

     Xī qù xuě rú huā, jīn lái huā sì xuě. [Pinyin]

     When I left then, the snow was like the flowers; I come now and the flowers are like the snow.

   • 昔魯公殺一無罪宮女，遂致九年旱澇；景公怒殺宮妃，臺傾三里。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     昔鲁公杀一无罪宫女，遂致九年旱涝；景公怒杀宫妃，台倾三里。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 甄偉, 西漢通俗演義

     Xī Lǔ Gōng shā yī wúzuì gōngnǚ, suì zhì jiǔ nián hànlào; Jǐng Gōng nù shā gōngfēi, tái qīng sān lǐ. [Pinyin]

     In olden times, the Duke of Lu murdered a guiltless palace maid, thus resulting in nine years of drought and flood; the Duke of Jing murdered a palace concubine in anger, causing terraces to collapse by three li.

2. ^† yesterday

   • 疇昔之羊，子為政；今日之事，我為政。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     畴昔之羊，子为政；今日之事，我为政。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

     Chóuxī zhī yáng, zǐ wéizhèng; jīnrì zhī shì, wǒ wéi zhèng. [Pinyin]

     With yesterday’s mutton, you were in charge, but in today’s affair, I am in charge.

   • 未成乎心而有是非，是今日適越而昔至也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     未成乎心而有是非，是今日适越而昔至也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Wèi chéng hū xīn ér yǒu shìfēi, shì jīnrì shì yuè ér xī zhì yě. [Pinyin]

     For one who has not this determined mind, to have his affirmations and negations is like the case described in the saying, 'He went to Yue to-day, and arrived at it yesterday.'

3. ^† sunset; dusk
4. ^† Alternative form of 腊 (“dried meat”)
5. ^† Alternative form of 夕 (xī, “evening; night”)

   • 為一昔之期，襲梁及霍。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     为一昔之期，袭梁及霍。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

     Wèi yīxī zhī qī, xí Liáng jí Huò. [Pinyin]

     They made an overnight pact, and then mounted sneak attacks on Liang and Huo.

6. a surname

Compounds

• 今不如昔 (jīnbùrúxī)
• 今昔 (jīnxī)
• 今昔之感
• 今非昔比 (jīnfēixībǐ)
• 伊昔
• 古昔 (gǔxī)
• 在昔
• 夙昔 (sùxī)
• 奶昔 (nǎixī)
• 宿昔
• 密昔司
• 密昔斯
• 平昔 (píngxī)
• 往昔 (wǎngxī)
• 感今懷昔 / 感今怀昔
• 撫今追昔 / 抚今追昔 (fǔjīnzhuīxī)
• 攀今比昔
• 昔人 (xīrén)
• 昔年 (xīnián)
• 昔日 (xīrì)
• 昔昔 (xīxī)
• 昔時 / 昔时 (xīshí)
• 昔酒
• 曩昔 (nǎngxī)
• 疇昔 / 畴昔 (chóuxī)
• 非昔是今

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cuò (cuo⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄨㄛˋ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cuò
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄨㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cuò
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻo⁴
    • Yale: tswò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsuoh
    • Palladius: цо (co)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰu̯ɔ⁵¹/

Definitions

昔

1. ^† coarse; rough
2. ^† Alternative form of 錯 / 错 (“to criss-cross”)
3. ^† Alternative form of 措 (cuò, “to use; to carry out”)

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chá

  (Teochew, Peng'im): za²

---

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chá
    • Tâi-lô: tsá
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zar
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sa⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sa⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sa⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sa⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sa⁴¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: za²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsá
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sa⁵²/

Definitions

昔

1. (Southern Min) Alternative form of 早

References

• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “昔”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 250.

Japanese

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 昔

昔

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: しゃく (shaku, Jōyō ^†)
• Kan-on: せき (seki, Jōyō)
• Kun: むかし (mukashi, 昔, Jōyō)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
昔
むかし Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. The muka portion derives from the 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete form”) of verb 向く (muku, “to face opposite to something”), implying “that which stands opposite from the present”. The shi portion is suffix し (shi) indicating direction, also found in words 縦し (tatashi, “the standing or vertical direction”), 横し (yokoshi, “the sideways or horizontal direction”). This appears to be a somewhat rare alternative form, more commonly encountered as さ (sa), and may be cognate with the nominalizing adjective ending さ (sa).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) むかし [mùkáshí] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [mɯ̟ka̠ɕi]

Adverb

昔(むかし) • (mukashi) 

1. once (in the indeterminate past)

   昔(むかし)見(み)た映(えい)画(が)

   mukashi mita eiga

   a movie I once saw

Noun

昔(むかし) • (mukashi) 

1. the past, old times

   昔(むかし)と今(いま) ― mukashi to ima ― the past and the present

   昔(むかし)の自(じ)分(ぶん) ― mukashi no jibun ― my past self

   昔(むかし)からの友達(ともだち) ― mukashi kara no tomodachi ― a longtime friend (literally, “a friend since old times”)

   昔(むかし)に戻(もど)る ― mukashi ni modoru ― to return to the past

   • 970–999, Utsubo Monogatari, page Toshikage:
     ^[3]

     むかし、式部大輔、左大弁かけて清原の王ありけり。

2. ancient

   昔(むかし)の人(ひと) ― mukashi no hito ― ancient people

   もう昔(むかし)の話(はなし)だ。 ― mō mukashi no hanashi da. ― That's ancient history.

Derived terms

• 昔(むかし)昔(むかし) (mukashi mukashi)

References

1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. Kōno, Tama (c. 970–999) Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 10: Utsubo Monogatari 1 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1959, →ISBN.

Korean

Hanja

昔 • (seok, chak) (hangeul 석, 착, revised seok, chak, McCune–Reischauer sŏk, ch'ak, Yale sek, chak)

1. formerly
2. ancient
3. in beginning

Vietnamese

Han character

昔: Hán Nôm readings: tích, tếch, thách, tách

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.