仕

仕 U+4ED5, 仕 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4ED5 ← 仔 [U+4ED4] CJK Unified Ideographs 他 → [U+4ED6]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

仕 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+3, 5 strokes, cangjie input 人土 (OG), four-corner 2421₀, composition ⿰亻士)

Derived characters

• 茌

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 92, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 368
• Dae Jaweon: page 195, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 112, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4ED5

Chinese

simp. and trad.		仕

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 仕
Bronze inscriptions b12243 Small seal script s05662 Transcribed ancient scripts L34132 L34133
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).

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

	Old Chinese
茌	*zrɯ
士	*zrɯʔ
仕	*zrɯʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zrɯʔ) and ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : semantic ⺅ (“person”) + phonetic 士 (OC *zrɯʔ, “a person engaged in an official position”). It is mainly used as a verb meaning "to serve."

Etymology 1

See 士 "servant, retainer, officer, scholar, gentleman"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shì (shi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): si⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shì
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shìh
    • Wade–Giles: shih⁴
    • Yale: shr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyh
    • Palladius: ши (ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: si⁶
    • Yale: sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: xi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː²²/

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• Middle Chinese: dzriX

Rime
Character	仕
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	崇 (20)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	鉏里切
Baxter	dzriX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʒɨX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɖ͡ʐɨX/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʒieX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɖ͡ʐɨX/
Li Rong	/d͡ʒiəX/
Wang Li	/d͡ʒĭəX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɖ͡ʐʱiX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[m-s-]rəʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*zrɯʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	仕
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shì
Middle Chinese	‹ dzriX ›
Old Chinese	/*[m-s-]rəʔ/
English	serve
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	仕
Reading #	1/1
No.	11512
Phonetic component	士
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	士
Old Chinese	/*zrɯʔ/

Definitions

仕

1. scholar; official; guardian

   • 有仕於此，而子悅之，不告於王而私與之吾子之祿爵；夫仕也，亦無王命而私受之於子，則可乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     有仕于此，而子悦之，不告于王而私与之吾子之禄爵；夫仕也，亦无王命而私受之于子，则可乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yǒu shì yú cǐ, ér zǐ yuè zhī, bùgào yú wáng ér sī yǔ zhī wúzǐ zhī lùjué; fú shì yě, yì wú wángmìng ér sī shòu zhī yú zǐ, zé kě hū? [Pinyin]

     Suppose there were an officer here, with whom you, Sir, were pleased, and that, without informing the king, you were privately to give to him your salary and rank; and suppose that this officer, also without the king's orders, were privately to receive them from you - would such a transaction be allowable?

2. to serve in the government

   • 士之仕也，猶農夫之耕也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     士之仕也，犹农夫之耕也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Shì zhī shì yě, yóu nóngfū zhī gēng yě. [Pinyin]

     An officer's being in office is like the ploughing of a husbandman.

3. (xiangqi) adviser; guard; minister: 🩡 (on the red side)
4. a surname

Coordinate terms

• (Chinese chess pieces) 帥／帅 (shuài) / 將／将, 仕 (shì) / 士 (shì), 相 / 象 (xiàng), 俥／伡 / 車／车, 傌 / 㐷 / 馬／马 (mǎ), 炮 / 砲／炮, 兵 (bīng) / 卒

Compounds

• 不仕 (bùshì)
• 仕女 (shìnǚ)
• 仕宦 (shìhuàn)
• 仕版
• 仕紳／仕绅
• 仕譯／仕译
• 仕途 (shìtú)
• 仕進／仕进
• 出仕 (chūshì)
• 學優而仕／学优而仕 (xuéyōu'érshì)
• 將仕郎／将仕郎
• 干仕
• 強仕／强仕
• 懸車致仕／悬车致仕
• 求仕 (qiúshì)
• 筮仕 (shìshì)
• 膴仕／𰮇仕
• 致仕 (zhìshì)
• 貴仕／贵仕

 

Etymology 2

From 亻 (denoting one octave lower in Cantonese opera) + 士 (si⁶).

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): si⁶

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: si⁶
    • Yale: sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: xi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː²²/

Definitions

仕

1. (music) Cantonese opera gongche notation for the note an octave below low la (6̣̣).

   Synonym: 𪛘 (sì) (Kunqu)

Japanese

Kanji

仕

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: じ (ji, Jōyō ^†)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: つかえる (tsukaeru, 仕える, Jōyō)^{←つかへる (tukaferu, 仕へる, historical)}、つかまつる (tsukamatsuru, 仕る)、つこうまつる (tsukōmatsuru, 仕る)
• Nanori: つこう (tsukō)

Compounds

• 仕(し)上(あ)がり (shiagari, “finish, end, completion”)
• 仕(し)上(あ)げ (shiage, “end, finishing touches”)
• 仕(し)上(あ)げる (shiageru, “finish up, complete”)
• 仕(し)入(い)れ (shīre, “stocking, buying up”)
• 仕(し)入(い)れる (shīreru, “lay in stock, replenish stock”)
• 仕(し)打(う)ち (shiuchi, “treatment, behavior, action”)
• 仕(し)置(お)き (shioki, “punishment”)
• 仕(し)送(おく)り (shiokuri, “allowance, remittance”)
• 仕(し)掛(か)け (shikake, “device, contrivance, trick”)
• 仕(し)掛(か)ける (shikakeru, “commence, lay, set”)
• 仕(し)方(かた) (shikata, “way, method, means”)
• 仕(し)方(かた)がない (shikata ga nai), 仕(し)方(かた)ない (shikata nai, “it can't be helped”)
• 仕(し)切(き)り (shikiri, “partition, division, boundary”)
• 仕(し)切(き)る (shikiru, “partition, divide, mark off”)
• 仕(し)草(ぐさ) (shigusa, “action, acting, gesture”)
• 仕(し)組(く)み (shikumi, “structure, construction, arrangement”)
• 仕(し)事(ごと) (shigoto, “work, job, business”)
• 仕(し)事(ごと)中(ちゅう) (shigotochū, “at work, working”)
• 仕(し)事(ごと)始(はじ)め (shigotohajime, “resuming work after New Year's vacation”)
• 仕(し)事(ごと)場(ば) (shigotoba, “place where one works”)
• 仕(し)込(こ)み (shikomi, “training, stocking up”)
• 仕(し)立(た)て (shitate, “tailoring, dressmaking, sewing”)
• 仕(し)立(た)てる (shitateru, “tailor, make, prepare”)
• 仕(し)手(て) (shite, “doer, performer”)
• お仕(し)舞(ま)い (oshimai, “the end, closing”)
• 仕(し)舞(ま)う (shimau, “finish, do something completely”)
• 仕(し)様(よう) (shiyō, “way, method, means”)
• 仕(し)様(よう)がない (shiyō ga nai), しょうがない (shō ga nai, “it's no use”)
• 仕(し)業(わざ) (shiwaza, “deed, act, action”)
• 仕(つか)える (tsukaeru, “serve, work for, attend”)
• 奉(ほう)仕(し) (hōshi, “attendance, service, ministry”)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
仕
し Grade: 3
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 仕 (MC dzriX).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) し [shíꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɕi]

Noun

仕(し) • (shi) ^{←し (si)?}

1. official, civil service

   仕(し)を致(いた)す

   shi o itasu

   to resign from public office

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
仕
し Grade: 3 (ateji)
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɕi]

Verb

仕(し) • (shi) ^{←し (si)?}

1. Alternative spelling of し (shi, continuative of する (suru))

Usage notes

• Used primarily as the first element in verb-verb and verb-noun compounds.

Korean

Hanja

仕 (eumhun 섬길 사 (seomgil sa))

1. hanja form^? of 사 (“serve; official”)

Vietnamese

Han character

仕: Hán Nôm readings: sĩ, sải, sảy, sãi, sẻ, sễ, sẽ, sì, sẩy, sè, sõi, sỡi, xảy

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

References

• Nom Foundation