塞

塞 U+585E, 塞 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-585E ← 塝 [U+585D] CJK Unified Ideographs 塟 → [U+585F]

塞 U+F96C, 塞 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F96C ← 參 [U+F96B] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 省 → [U+F96D]

Translingual

Han character

塞 (Kangxi radical 32, 土+10, 13 strokes, cangjie input 十廿金土 (JTCG), four-corner 3010₄, composition ⿱𡨄土)

Derived characters

• 僿 噻 𡑮 㩙 𤀕 簺

References

• KangXi: page 236, character 9
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5349
• Dae Jaweon: page 474, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 475, character 1
• Unihan data for U+585E

• Unihan data for U+F96C

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		塞

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 塞
Shang	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
賽	*slɯːɡs
塞	*slɯːɡs, *slɯːɡ
簺	*slɯːɡs
僿	*hljɯɡs
寨	*zraːds, *slɯːɡ

Oracle bone script: Ideogrammic compound (會意): 宀 (“house”) + 工 (“two items”) + 廾 (“two hands”) – stuffing the house with items.

Shuowen: Ideogrammic compound (會意): 𡨄 + 土 (“soil”).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sāi, sè, sēi (sai¹, se⁴, sei¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄞ, ㄙㄜˋ, ㄙㄟ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sak¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): set

  (Meixian, Guangdong): sêd⁵

• Min Dong (BUC): sék / sáik
• Min Nan (POJ): sak / sek / siak / sat
• Wu (Wiktionary): seq (T4)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: sāi
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄞ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sai
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sai
    • Wade–Giles: sai1
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saɪ̯⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (塞兒／塞儿)⁺
    • Pinyin: sāir
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄞㄦ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sal
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sair
    • Wade–Giles: sairh1
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑɻ⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: sè
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄜˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: seh
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sè
    • Wade–Giles: sê4
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɤ⁵¹/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan variant; Beijing dialect)⁺
    • Pinyin: sēi
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄟ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sei
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sei
    • Wade–Giles: sei1
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /seɪ̯⁵⁵/

Note:

• sāi - vernacular (“to stuff; to be jammed; stopper”);
• sāir - “stopper”;
• sēi - low vernacular (“to stuff”);
• sè - literary.

Cantonese

• (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  • Jyutping: sak¹
  • Yale: sāk
  • Cantonese Pinyin: sak⁷
  • Guangdong Romanization: seg¹
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐk̚⁵/

Hakka

• (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: set
  • Hakka Romanization System: sed`
  • Hagfa Pinyim: sed⁵
  • Sinological IPA: /set̚²/
• (Meixian)
  • Guangdong: sêd⁵
  • Sinological IPA: /sɛt̚¹/

Min Dong

• (Fuzhou)
  • Bàng-uâ-cê: sék / sáik
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛiʔ²⁴/, /saiʔ²⁴/

Note:

• sék - vernacular;
• sáik - literary.

Min Nan

• (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sak
  • Tâi-lô: sak
  • Phofsit Daibuun: sag
  • IPA (Quanzhou): /sak̚⁵/
• (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sek
  • Tâi-lô: sik
  • Phofsit Daibuun: seg
  • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /ɕiɪk̚³²/
• (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siak
  • Tâi-lô: siak
  • Phofsit Daibuun: siag
  • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕiak̚⁵/
• (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Zhangzhou)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sat
  • Tâi-lô: sat
  • Phofsit Daibuun: sad
  • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou): /sat̚³²/

Wu

• (Shanghainese)
  • Wiktionary: seq (T4)
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /səʔ⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: /sək̚/

Rime
Character	塞
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	德 (131)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	蘇則切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sək̚/
Pan Wuyun	/sək̚/
Shao Rongfen	/sək̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sək̚/
Li Rong	/sək̚/
Wang Li	/sək̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/sək̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	se
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sak1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s]ˤək/

  (Zhengzhang): /*slɯːɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	塞
Reading #	3/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sè
Middle Chinese	‹ sok ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]ˁək/
English	stop up, block (v.)
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	塞
Reading #	2/2
No.	10961
Phonetic component	塞
Rime group	職
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	塞
Old Chinese	/*slɯːɡ/

Definitions

塞

1. to stop up; to block up
2. to stuff; to cram; to squeeze in

   將報紙塞落對鞋度 [Cantonese, trad.]
   将报纸塞落对鞋度 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zoeng¹ bou³ zi² sak¹ lok⁶ deoi³ haai⁴ dou⁶ [Jyutping]

   to shove newspaper into a pair of shoes

3. to be blocked; to be jammed
4. to forbid; to suppress; to prohibit
5. to satisfy; to fulfil
6. to compensate; to remedy
7. to answer; to repay
8. to manage to arrange a position for someone
9. to practise bribe
10. to evade; to stall
11. stopper; cork
12. to be in a difficult position; destitute
13. honest; truthful
14. (historial) Saka people

Compounds

Derived terms from 塞

• 亞塞拜然／亚塞拜然 (Yàsàibàirán)
• 交通壅塞
• 但求塞責／但求塞责
• 優婆塞／优婆塞 (yōupósè)
• 充塞 (chōngsè)
• 兩豆塞耳／两豆塞耳
• 唐塞
• 喉塞音 (hóusèyīn)
• 嗌塞
• 堆山塞海
• 堰塞湖 (yànsèhú)
• 堵塞 (dǔsè)
• 塞住
• 塞內加爾／塞内加尔 (Sàinèijiā'ěr)
• 塞子 (sāizi)
• 塞席爾／塞席尔 (Sèxí'ěr)
• 塞擦化 (sècāhuà)
• 塞擦音 (sècāyīn)
• 塞淵／塞渊
• 塞滿／塞满 (sāimǎn)
• 塞爆音
• 塞爾維亞／塞尔维亚 (Sài'ěrwéiyà)
• 塞牙 (sāiyá)
• 塞牙縫／塞牙缝
• 塞狗洞
• 塞納河／塞纳河 (Sàinà Hé)
• 塞耳
• 塞耳偷鈴／塞耳偷铃
• 塞耳盜鐘／塞耳盗钟
• 塞聲／塞声
• 塞職／塞职
• 塞話／塞话
• 塞責／塞责 (sèzé)
• 塞車／塞车 (sāichē)
• 塞音 (sèyīn)
• 填塞 (tiánsè)

• 填街塞巷
• 壅塞 (yōngsè)
• 壺漿塞道／壶浆塞道
• 奧登塞／奥登塞
• 屯街塞巷
• 屯蹶否塞
• 布魯塞爾／布鲁塞尔 (Bùlǔsài'ěr)
• 廞塞／𫷷塞
• 心肌梗塞 (xīnjī gěngsè)
• 抑塞
• 抑塞磊落
• 拍塞
• 拒塞
• 拔本塞原
• 拔本塞源
• 挨山塞海
• 推諉塞責／推诿塞责
• 搪塞 (tángsè)
• 擁塞／拥塞 (yōngsè)
• 擔雪塞井／担雪塞井
• 敷衍塞責／敷衍塞责 (fūyǎnsèzé)
• 敷衍搪塞 (fūyǎntángsè)
• 晦盲否塞
• 木塞
• 杜塞
• 栓塞 (shuānsè)
• 梗塞 (gěngsè)
• 氣塞／气塞
• 泥塞竹管
• 活塞 (huósāi)
• 淤塞 (yūsè)
• 淵塞／渊塞
• 漫天塞地
• 漫山塞野 (mànshān sè yě)
• 潦草塞責／潦草塞责
• 火星塞

• 無以塞責／无以塞责
• 理塞
• 瓶塞 (píngsāi)
• 白塞木
• 窒塞
• 耳塞 (ěrsāi)
• 聊以塞責／聊以塞责
• 腦栓塞／脑栓塞 (nǎoshuānsè)
• 腸阻塞／肠阻塞 (chángzǔsè)
• 苟且唐塞
• 茅塞
• 茅塞頓開／茅塞顿开 (máosèdùnkāi)
• 葉尼塞河／叶尼塞河 (Yènísè Hé)
• 蔽塞 (bìsè)
• 蔽聰塞明／蔽聪塞明
• 衛塞／卫塞 (Wèisài)
• 衛塞節／卫塞节
• 補垣塞穴／补垣塞穴
• 語塞／语塞 (yǔsè)
• 譽塞天下／誉塞天下
• 豺狼塞路
• 赭衣塞路
• 距塞
• 通塞
• 閉塞／闭塞 (bìsè)
• 閉明塞聰／闭明塞聪
• 閉目塞聽／闭目塞听 (bìmùsètīng)
• 閉門塞竇／闭门塞窦
• 閼塞／阏塞 (èsè)
• 阻塞 (zǔsè)
• 障塞
• 險塞／险塞
• 頓開茅塞／顿开茅塞
• 鬱塞／郁塞
• 鼻塞聲重／鼻塞声重

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sài (sai⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄞˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): coi³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): sai
• Min Dong (BUC): sái
• Min Nan (POJ): sài
• Wu (Wiktionary): se (T2)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: sài
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄞˋ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: say
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sài
    • Wade–Giles: sai4
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: coi³
    • Yale: choi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoi³
    • Guangdong Romanization: coi³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɔːy̯³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sai
    • Hakka Romanization System: sai
    • Hagfa Pinyim: sai⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /sai̯⁵⁵/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sái
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑi²¹³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sài
    • Tâi-lô: sài
    • Phofsit Daibuun: saix
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sai²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sai⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /sai²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /sai¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /sai²¹/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: se (T2)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /se̞³⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: /sʌi^H/

Rime
Character	塞
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	先代切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sʌiH/
Pan Wuyun	/səiH/
Shao Rongfen	/sɒiH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/səjH/
Li Rong	/sᴀiH/
Wang Li	/sɒiH/
Bernard Karlgren	/sɑ̆iH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sài
Expected Cantonese Reflex	soi3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s]ˤək-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*slɯːɡs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	塞
Reading #	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sài
Middle Chinese	‹ sojH ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]ˁək-s/
English	frontier
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	塞
Reading #	1/2
No.	10958
Phonetic component	塞
Rime group	代
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	賽
Old Chinese	/*slɯːɡs/

Definitions

塞

1. (historical) place of strategic importance; pass; fortress
2. to build fortress; to construct fortifications
3. frontier; border

   塞翁失馬 / 塞翁失马  ―  sàiwēngshīmǎ  ―  The old man at the frontier losing a horse

4. (specifically) the northern frontier of imperial China, as demarcated by the Great Wall
5. Alternative form of 賽／赛 (sài, “to compete, contend; contest, race”).
6. Alternative form of 簺 (sài, “an ancient gambling game”).

Compounds

Derived terms from 塞

• 出塞
• 四塞
• 塞上曲
• 塞下曲
• 塞內／塞内
• 塞內加爾／塞内加尔 (Sàinèijiā'ěr)
• 塞北 (Sàiběi)
• 塞外 (sàiwài)
• 塞得港
• 塞拉利昂 (Sàilālì'áng)
• 塞浦路斯 (Sàipǔlùsī)
• 塞爾維亞／塞尔维亚 (Sài'ěrwéiyà)
• 塞班島／塞班岛 (Sàibān Dǎo)

• 塞納河／塞纳河 (Sàinà Hé)
• 塞維利亞／塞维利亚 (Sàiwéilìyà)
• 塞翁失馬／塞翁失马 (sàiwēngshīmǎ)
• 塞舌爾／塞舌尔 (Sàishé'ěr)
• 塞門／塞门
• 巴塞爾／巴塞尔 (Bāsài'ěr)
• 巴塞隆納／巴塞隆纳 (Bāsàilóngnà)
• 文姬入塞
• 昭君出塞
• 榆塞
• 款塞
• 玄塞

• 紫塞
• 絕塞／绝塞
• 要塞 (yàosài)
• 邊塞／边塞 (biānsài)
• 邊塞詩／边塞诗 (biānsàishī)
• 關塞／关塞
• 阨塞
• 阿克塞 (Ākèsài)
• 阿克塞哈薩克族自治縣／阿克塞哈萨克族自治县 (Ākèsài Hāsàkèzú Zìzhìxiàn)
• 阿塞拜疆 (Āsàibàijiāng)
• 雞鹿塞／鸡鹿塞
• 麻薩諸塞／麻萨诸塞 (Másàzhūsài)

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Japanese

Kanji

塞

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. to block
2. to shut off
3. to close
4. fort; fortress

Readings

• Go-on: そく (soku, Jōyō); さい (sai, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: そく (soku, Jōyō); さい (sai, Jōyō)
• Kun: ふさがる (fusagaru, 塞がる, Jōyō); ふさぐ (fusagu, 塞ぐ, Jōyō); みちる (michiru, 塞ちる); とりで (toride, 塞)

Compounds

• 活塞(かっそく) (kassoku, “piston”)
• 城塞(じょうさい) (jōsai)
• 要塞(ようさい) (yōsai)

Idioms

• 塞(さい)翁(おう)が馬(うま) (sai ō ga uma, “The old man lost his horse”): "Good luck brings bad luck, and good luck brings bad luck"; "Luck is fickle"

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Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 塞 (MC sʌi^H).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean ᄉᆡᆼ〮 (Yale: sóy) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean ᄉᆡ〮 (sóy) (Yale: sóy) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛ] ~ [sʰe̞]
• Phonetic hangul: [새/세]

Hanja

Wikisource

塞 (eumhun 변방(邊方) 새 (byeonbang sae))

1. Hanja form^? of 새 (“frontier; border”).
2. Hanja form^? of 새 (“fortress”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 요새 (要塞, yosae, “fortress”)
• 요새지 (要塞地, yosaeji)
• 새옹지마 (塞翁之馬, sae'ongjima)

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 塞 (MC sək̚).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean 슥〮 (Yale: súk) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean ᄉᆡᆨ (soyk)訓 (Yale: soyk) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰɛk̚] ~ [sʰe̞k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [색/섹]

Hanja

塞 (eumhun 막을 색 (mageul saek))

1. Hanja form^? of 색 (“block”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 경색 (梗塞, gyeongsaek)
• 군색 (窘塞, gunsaek)
• 어색 (語塞, eosaek)
• 폐색 (閉塞, pyesaek)
• 질색 (窒塞, jilsaek)
• 궁색 (窮塞, gungsaek, “poverty; destitution”)

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

塞: Hán Nôm readings: tắc, tái

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