便

See also: 使

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

便 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人一中大 (OMLK), four-corner 2124₆, composition ⿰亻更)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 103, character 32
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 659
• Dae Jaweon: page 219, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 157, character 3
• Unihan data for U+4FBF

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		便

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 便
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Bronze inscriptions b12352 Small seal script s05800 Transcribed ancient scripts L32033 L32034 L32035 L32036 L32037 L32038 L32039 L32040 L32041 L07218 L07219
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 (便) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
鞭	*pen
鯾	*pen
箯	*pen, *ben
便	*ben, *bens
緶	*ben, *peːnʔ
楩	*ben, *benʔ

According to Shuowen, an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 亻 (“person”) + 更 (“to change”) – to change one's posture to make oneself comfortable.

Alternatively, this may be the original character for 鞭 (OC *pen, “to whip”), from 人 (“person”) + 𠓥 (“whip”), as seen in the bronze script.

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 便

1. convenient; handy
   • 方便  ―  fāngbiàn  ―  convenient, suitable
   • 便利  ―  biànlì  ―  convenient, easy
   • 簡便／简便  ―  jiǎnbiàn  ―  convenient, handy
2. to go a long way in; to serve the interests of; to benefit; to make convenient
3. nimble; agile
4. informal; ordinary; plain
   • 便衣  ―  biànyī  ―  civilian clothes
   • 便服  ―  biànfú  ―  informal clothes, everyday clothes
   • 便函  ―  biànhán  ―  informal letter
5. human waste; excretion
   • 小便  ―  xiǎobiàn  ―  to urinate
   • 大便  ―  dàbiàn  ―  to defecate
   • 便器  ―  biànqì  ―  toilet
   • 糞便／粪便  ―  fènbiàn  ―  excrement, feces
6. soon afterward; as soon as

   • 警察一到現場，人群便四散離去。 [MSC, trad.]
     警察一到现场，人群便四散离去。 [MSC, simp.]

     Jǐngchá yī dào xiànchǎng, rénqún biàn sìsàn líqù. [Pinyin]

     The crowd soon dissipated when the police arrived.

   • 他到了日本，不久便發了洋財。 [MSC, trad.]
     他到了日本，不久便发了洋财。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā dào le rìběn, bùjiǔ biàn fā le yángcái. [Pinyin]

     He went to Japan and soon made a big fortune.

   • 他二十幾歲便開始謝頂。 [MSC, trad.]
     他二十几岁便开始谢顶。 [MSC, simp.]

     Tā èrshí jǐ suì biàn kāishǐ xièdǐng. [Pinyin]

     He started going bald in his twenties.

7. then

   他一得空便跑出去玩。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Tā yī dékòng biàn pǎochūqù wán. [Pinyin]

   As soon as gets free, he (then) runs out to play.

8. even if; even though

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 便

1. ^† quiet and comfortable
2. ^† slim and graceful
3. ^† nimble
4. ^† eloquent
5. cheap; inexpensive

   便宜  ―  piányi  ―  cheap

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

便

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: べん (ben, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: へん (hen)
• Kan’yō-on: びん (bin, Jōyō)
• Kun: たより (tayori, 便り, Jōyō); すなわち (sunawachi, 便ち)

Compounds

Derived terms

• 便々, 便便
• 便意
• 便衣
• 便益
• 便管
• 便器
• 便宜
• 便座
• 便所
• 便乗
• 便船
• 便通
• 便殿
• 便秘
• 便服
• 便法
• 便覧
• 便利
• 便壺
• 便佞, 便侫
• 便箋
• 航空便(こうくうびん) (kōkūbin)
• 穏便
• 音便
• 快便
• 貨物便
• 簡便
• 急行便
• 軽便
• 欠便
• 血便

• 検便
• 幸便
• 後便
• 至便
• 宿便
• 小便
• 次便
• 先便
• 全便
• 前便
• 増便
• 宅配便
• 宅急便
• 大便
• 直行便
• 定期便
• 鉄道便
• 軟便
• 粘液便
• 排便
• 飛行便
• 船便
• 不便
• 糞便
• 別便
• 方便
• 用便
• 利便
• 両便
• 緑便
• 郵便(ゆうびん) (yūbin, “postal service”)

Related terms

Related terms

• 下り便
• 便じる
• 便ずる
• 便の有り次第
• 便る

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
便
べん Grade: 4
goon

Adjectival noun

便(べん) • (ben) -na (adnominal 便(べん)な (ben na), adverbial 便(べん)に (ben ni))

1. convenient

Inflection

Inflection of 便

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	便だろ	べんだろ	ben daro
Continuative (連用形)	便で	べんで	ben de
Terminal (終止形)	便だ	べんだ	ben da
Attributive (連体形)	便な	べんな	ben na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	便なら	べんなら	ben nara
Imperative (命令形)	便であれ	べんであれ	ben de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	便ではない 便じゃない	べんではない べんじゃない	ben de wa nai ben ja nai
Informal past	便だった	べんだった	ben datta
Informal negative past	便ではなかった 便じゃなかった	べんではなかった べんじゃなかった	ben de wa nakatta ben ja nakatta
Formal	便です	べんです	ben desu
Formal negative	便ではありません 便じゃありません	べんではありません べんじゃありません	ben de wa arimasen ben ja arimasen
Formal past	便でした	べんでした	ben deshita
Formal negative past	便ではありませんでした 便じゃありませんでした	べんではありませんでした べんじゃありませんでした	ben de wa arimasen deshita ben ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	便で	べんで	ben de
Conditional	便なら（ば）	べんなら（ば）	ben nara (ba)
Provisional	便だったら	べんだったら	ben dattara
Volitional	便だろう	べんだろう	ben darō
Adverbial	便に	べんに	ben ni
Degree	便さ	べんさ	bensa

Noun

便(べん) • (ben) 

1. a convenience
2. facilities
3. bowel movement

Synonyms

• (convenient): 便利(べんり) (benri)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
便
びん Grade: 4
kan'yōon

Noun

便(びん) • (bin) 

1. a flight
2. mail
3. (bus) service

See also

• 飛行(ひこう) (hikō)
• フライト (furaito)
• 飛(とび) (tobi)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
便
よすが Grade: 4
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 便 – see the following entry.

【よすが】 [noun] something to rely on; a connection, affinity [noun] someone to rely on; a relative [noun] an opportunity, way, means Alternative spellings 縁, 因

(This term, 便, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

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Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 便 (MC bjienH, “convenient”).

Hanja

Wikisource

便 (eumhun 편할 편 (pyeonhal pyeon))

1. Hanja form^? of 편 (“convenience, ease, comfortability”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 편람 (便覽, pyeollam)
• 편리 (便利, pyeolli)
• 편법 (便法, pyeonbeop)
• 편승 (便乘, pyeonseung)
• 편안 (便安, pyeonan)
• 편의 (便宜, pyeonui)
• 편이 (便易, pyeoni)
• 편익 (便益, pyeonik)
• 편지 (便紙, pyeonji)
• 간편 (簡便, ganpyeon)
• 남편 (男便, nampyeon)
• 방편 (方便, bangpyeon)
• 불편 (不便, bulpyeon)
• 서편 (西便, seopyeon)
• 선편 (船便, seonpyeon)
• 양편 (兩便, yangpyeon)
• 우편 (郵便, upyeon)
• 음편 (音便, eumpyeon)
• 인편 (人便, inpyeon)
• 형편 (形便, hyeongpyeon)
• 편의점 (便宜店, pyeonuijeom)
• 반대편 (反對便, bandaepyeon)
• 상대편 (相對便, sangdaepyeon)

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 便 (MC bjienH). Recorded as Middle Korean 편 (phyen) (Yale: phyen) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

便 (eumhun 똥오줌 변 (ttong'ojum byeon))

1. Hanja form^? of 변 (“feces and urine”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 변기 (便器, byeon'gi)
• 변비 (便祕, byeonbi)
• 변소 (便所, byeonso)
• 배변 (排便, baebyeon)
• 소변 (小便, sobyeon)
• 수변 (溲便, subyeon)
• 혈변 (血便, hyeolbyeon)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [1]

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Vietnamese

Han character

便: Hán Nôm readings: tiện, biền

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

References

• Nom Foundation