混沌

Chinese

		to mix; to get along; thoughtless to mix; to get along; thoughtless; confused; dirty; mix	confused; turbid
trad. (混沌)		混	沌
simp. #(混沌)		混	沌
alternative forms		渾沌／浑沌 渾敦／浑敦 archaic 混淪／混沦 archaic 渾淪／浑沦 archaic

Etymology

Old Chinese *guːnʔ duːnʔ. The variant 渾淪／浑沦 (húnlún) suggests that this perhaps came from *guːnʔ l̥uːnʔ ~ guːnʔ ruːnʔ, from **gruːnʔ, from the root *k(V)r- ("to flow > to mix > to be turbid, chaotic").

Related to 餛飩／馄饨 (húntun, “wonton”) and 雲吞／云吞 (yúntūn, “wonton”).

Compare 渾 (OC *ɡuːn, *ɡuːnʔ), 混 (OC *ɡuːnʔ, “rapidly flowing water; turbidity; confusedness; unclearness; big; whole”), Korean 흐르— (heureu-, “to flow; to float; to fill”), 흐리— (heuri-, “to be turbid, unclear, indistinct”), 흐릿하— (heuritha-, “to be vague, indistinct”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hùndùn

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄣˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wan⁶ deon⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fun-tun
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hūn-tūn

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hùndùn
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄣˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hùndùn
    • Wade–Giles: hun⁴-tun⁴
    • Yale: hwùn-dwùn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huennduenn
    • Palladius: хуньдунь (xunʹdunʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ tu̯ən⁵¹/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 混沌 混淪／混沦

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wan⁶ deon⁶
    • Yale: wahn deuhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wan⁶ doen⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: wen⁶ dên⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐn²² tɵn²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fun-tun
    • Hakka Romanization System: fun dun
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fun⁴ dun⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /fun⁵⁵ tun⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hūn-tūn
    • Tâi-lô: hūn-tūn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: huxndun
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hun²²⁻²¹ tun²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hun⁴¹⁻²² tun⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hun²²⁻²¹ tun²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hun³³⁻¹¹ tun³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hun³³⁻²¹ tun³³/

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• Middle Chinese: hwonX dwonX

Rime
Character	混	沌
Reading #	1/1	2/3
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	定 (7)
Final (韻)	魂 (55)	魂 (55)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	胡本切	徒損切
Baxter	hwonX	dwonX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦuənX/	/duənX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦuonX/	/duonX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuənX/	/duənX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwənX/	/dwənX/
Li Rong	/ɣuənX/	/duənX/
Wang Li	/ɣuənX/	/duənX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣuənX/	/dʱuənX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hùn	dùn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wan6	deon6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡuːnʔ  duːnʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	混	沌
Reading #	1/1	3/3
No.	7536	12558
Phonetic component	昆	屯
Rime group	文	文
Rime subdivision	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	混	囤
Old Chinese	/*ɡuːnʔ/	/*duːnʔ/

Noun

混沌

1. (Chinese mythology) Hundun (the unclear, confused and nebulous state of the primordial world)
2. wholeness; inseparability
3. unclearness; indistinctness; obscurity; vagueness; obfuscation
4. silliness; stupidity
5. (Chinese mythology) hundun (legendary faceless creature)
6. (mathematics) chaos

Synonyms

• (Hundun): (literary, figurative) 䒌靘 (mìngqìng)

Derived terms

• 混沌理論／混沌理论 (hùndùn lǐlùn)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (混沌):

• → Japanese: 混沌(こんとん) (konton)
• → Korean: 혼돈(混沌) (hondon)
• → Vietnamese: hỗn độn (混沌)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
混	沌
こん Grade: 5	とん Jinmeiyō
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
渾沌

Etymology

From Chinese 混沌 (hùndùn).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こんとん [kòńtóń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [kõ̞ntõ̞ɴ]

Adjective

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton) ^†-tari (adnominal 混(こん)沌(とん)とした (konton to shita) or 混(こん)沌(とん)たる (konton taru), adverbial 混(こん)沌(とん)と (konton to) or 混(こん)沌(とん)として (konton to shite))

1. chaotic

Adverb

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton) 

1. chaotically

Noun

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton) 

1. chaos
   • 2014 March 8, “オシリスの天(てん)空(くう)竜(りゅう)”, in 決闘王の記憶 －決闘者の王国編－ [Memories of the Duel King: Duelist Kingdom Arc], Konami:

     天(てん)空(くう)に雷(らい)鳴(めい)轟(とどろ)く混(こん)沌(とん)の時(とき)、連(つら)なる鎖(くさり)の中(なか)に古(いにしえ)の魔(ま)導(どう)書(しょ)を束(たば)ね、その力(ちから)無(む)限(げん)の限(かぎ)りを誇(ほこ)らん。

     Tenkū ni raimei todoroku konton no toki, tsuranaru kusari no naka ni inishie no Madōsho o tabane, sono chikara mugen no kagiri o hokoran.

     Such power knows no bounds, it puts the ancient Sorcery Grimoires in tangling chains when chaos roars with thunder in the sky.

Korean

Hanja in this term
混	沌

Noun

混沌 • (hondon) (hangeul 혼돈)

1. Hanja form^? of 혼돈 (“chaos”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
混	沌

Adjective

混沌

1. chữ Hán form of hỗn độn (“chaotic; disorderly”).