封建

Chinese

		to confer; to grant; to seal to confer; to grant; to seal; (a measure word)	to establish; to found; to set up to establish; to found; to set up; to build; to construct
simp. and trad. (封建)		封	建

Etymology

From Zuozhuan:

• 昔周公弔二叔之不鹹，故封建親戚以蕃屏周。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

  ---

  昔周公吊二叔之不咸，故封建亲戚以蕃屏周。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

  Xī Zhōugōng diào èrshū zhī bùxián, gù fēngjiàn qīnqī yǐ fánpíng Zhōu. [Pinyin]

  Formerly, the Duke of Zhou grieved that two royal uncles (Guan Shu Xian & Cai Shu Du) were not in accord with him. That is why he enfeoffed ("封" fēng) and established ("建" jiàn) kinsmen and relatives as a hedge and a screen for Zhou.

「封建」 in the Classic of Poetry is considered an unrelated sum-of-parts meaning 「大建」 "[to] make grandly secure ~ [to] grandly establish".

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fēngjiàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄥ ㄐㄧㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): fung¹ gin³

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hong-kiàn

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hong¹ giang⁶

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹fon-ci

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: fēngjiàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄥ ㄐㄧㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: fongjiàn
    • Wade–Giles: fêng¹-chien⁴
    • Yale: fēng-jyàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fengjiann
    • Palladius: фэнцзянь (fɛnczjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fɤŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fung¹ gin³
    • Yale: fūng gin
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fung¹ gin³
    • Guangdong Romanization: fung¹ gin³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fʊŋ⁵⁵ kiːn³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hong-kiàn
    • Tâi-lô: hong-kiàn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hongkiexn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kiɛn²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ³³ kiɛn⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² kiɛn²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kiɛn¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ kiɛn²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hong¹ giang⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hong kiăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hoŋ³³⁻²³ kiaŋ³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹fon-ci
    • MiniDict: fon^平 ci
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹fon-ji
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /foŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕi²¹/

Noun

封建

1. (historical) fengjian (a system of enfeoffment in ancient China); (by extension) feudalism; European feudalism

   封建政體／封建政体  ―  fēngjiàn zhèngtǐ  ―  feudal polity

   • 眾封建，非以私賢也，所以便勢全威，所以博義。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     众封建，非以私贤也，所以便势全威，所以博义。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

     Zhòng fēngjiàn, fēi yǐ sī xián yě, suǒyǐ biàn shì quán wēi, suǒyǐ bó yì. [Pinyin]

     They enfeoffed a multitude, not because of any personal interest in worthies, but because this was the most convenient way to exercise control and keep their majesty intact, as well as the way to extend the rule of justice.

   • 聖賢生於其時，（亦）無以立於天下，封建者為之也。豈聖人之制使至於是乎？吾固曰：「非聖人之意也，勢也。」 [MSC, trad.]
     圣贤生于其时，（亦）无以立于天下，封建者为之也。岂圣人之制使至于是乎？吾固曰：「非圣人之意也，势也。」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: Liu Zongyuan,《封建論》On Investiture, 9th century CE (translated by Nolan Bensen)

     Shèngxián shēng yú qíshí, (yì) wú yǐ lì yú tiānxià, fēngjiàn zhě wèi zhī yě. Qǐ shèngrén zhī zhì shǐ zhì yúshì hū? Wú gù yuē: “Fēi shèngrén zhī yì yě, shì yě.” [Pinyin]

     Even if the Sages and Worthies lived during this period, they would also be unable to establish themselves within the Realm, invested lords would instead do this. How can the system of the Sages' own design bring about this problem? I emphatically say, 'It was not designed by the Sages, but merely by circumstance.'

Synonyms

• (feudalism):

edit

• 封建主義／封建主义 (fēngjiàn zhǔyì) (especially as a concept)
• 封建制 (fēngjiànzhì)
• 封建制度 (fēngjiàn zhìdù)
• 封建社會／封建社会 (fēngjiàn shèhuì) (especially as a society)

 

Derived terms

• 半封建 (bànfēngjiàn)
• 反封建 (fǎnfēngjiàn)
• 封土建國／封土建国
• 封地建國／封地建国
• 封建主義／封建主义 (fēngjiàn zhǔyì)
• 封建制 (fēngjiànzhì)
• 封建制度 (fēngjiàn zhìdù)
• 封建割據／封建割据 (fēngjiàn gējù)
• 封建化 (fēngjiànhuà)
• 封建社會／封建社会 (fēngjiàn shèhuì)
• 封邦建國／封邦建国

 

Adjective

封建

1. feudal; feudalistic

   封建迷信  ―  fēngjiàn míxìn  ―  feudalistic and superstitious (things)

   這部小說反映了一個封建家庭的敗落。 [MSC, trad.]
   这部小说反映了一个封建家庭的败落。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè bù xiǎoshuō fǎnyìng le yī ge fēngjiàn jiātíng de bàiluò. [Pinyin]

   The novel reflects the decline of a feudal family.

2. stuffy; conservative; old-fashioned

Synonyms

• (stuffy):

edit

• 古板 (gǔbǎn)
• 老式 (lǎoshì)
• 老時／老时 (Hakka)
• 背時／背时 (bèishí) (Central Plains Mandarin, Jin, Huizhou, Wu)
• 舊落咆／旧落咆 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 舊落落／旧落落 (Hokkien)
• 迂腐 (yūfǔ)
• 退時／退时 (Hokkien)
• 過時／过时 (guòshí)
• 陳／陈 (chén) (literary, or in compounds)
• 陳腐／陈腐 (chénfǔ)
• 陳舊／陈旧 (chénjiù)

 

Japanese

Kanji in this term
封	建
ほう Grade: S	けん Grade: 4
kan'on

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ho̞ːkẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

封(ほう)建(けん) • (hōken) 

1. feudalism

Derived terms

• 封建制度(ほうけんせいど) (hōkenseido)

Korean

Hanja in this term
封	建

Noun

封建 • (bonggeon) (hangeul 봉건)

1. hanja form^? of 봉건 (“feudal; feudalism”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
封	建

Adjective

封建

1. chữ Hán form of phong kiến (“feudal”).