知

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

知 (Kangxi radical 111, 矢+3, 8 strokes, cangjie input 人大口 (OKR), four-corner 8640₀, composition ⿰矢口)

Derived characters

• 倁, 𫪦, 𢔊, 𢛍, 𣶱, 𨔓, 椥, 蜘, 踟, 𣔇, 𭹖, 𥏯, 䓡, 痴, 𥯌, 𢜔, 智, 㲛, 聟, 䝷, 䣽, 鼅

Descendants

• ち (Hiragana character derived from Man'yōgana)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 824, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 23935
• Dae Jaweon: page 1235, character 27
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2581, character 2
• Unihan data for U+77E5

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		知

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
彘	*l'eds
璏	*l'eds, *ɢʷleds, *ɢʷled
薙	*l̥ʰiːs, *ljiʔ, *l'iʔ
知	*ʔl'e
蜘	*te
智	*ʔl'es
鼅	*te
潪	*teɡs, *deɡ
踟	*de
雉	*l'iʔ
矢	*hliʔ
痴	*l̥ʰɯ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔl'e) : phonetic 矢 (OC *hliʔ, “arrow”) + semantic 口 (“mouth”). This may also be an ideogram (指事) – words coming out of people who know are like arrows being fired.

Etymology

The two pronunciations are cognate. The word is possibly of Sino-Tibetan origin, compare Mizo hria, hriat (“to know”), Jingpho chye (“to know”), Tibetan རིག (rig, “to know”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 知

1. to know; to understand; to comprehend

   • 「亢」之為言也，知進而不知退，知存而不知亡，知得而不知喪。其唯聖人乎！知進退存亡而不失其正者，其唯聖人乎！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     「亢」之为言也，知进而不知退，知存而不知亡，知得而不知丧。其唯圣人乎！知进退存亡而不失其正者，其唯圣人乎！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE

     “kàng” zhī wéi yán yě, zhī jìn ér bù zhī tuì, zhī cún ér bù zhī wáng, zhī dé ér bù zhī sàng. Qí wéi shèngrén hū! Zhī jìntuìcúnwáng ér bù shī qí zhèng zhě, qí wéi shèngrén hū! [Pinyin]

     The force of that phrase - 'exceeding the proper limits' - indicates the knowing to advance but not to retire; to maintain but not to let perish to get but not to lose. He only is the sage who knows to advance and to retire, to maintain and to let perish; and that without ever acting incorrectly. Yes, he only is the sage!

   • 子曰：「由！誨女知之乎？知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子曰：「由！诲女知之乎？知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zǐ yuē: “Yóu! Huì rǔ zhì zhī hū? Zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī, shì zhì yě.” [Pinyin]

     The Master said, "You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge."

   • 知人知面不知心  ―  zhī rén zhī miàn bù zhī xīn  ―  One may know a person for a long time without understanding his true nature
   • 我唔知。 [Guangzhou Cantonese]  ―  ngo⁵ m⁴ zi¹. [Jyutping]  ―  I don't know.
2. ^† to cause to know; to tell; to inform

   通知  ―  tōngzhī  ―  to inform

3. ^† to administer; to take charge of
   • 知縣／知县  ―  zhīxiàn  ―  governor of a county
   • 知客  ―  zhīkè  ―  receptionist at a ceremony
4. ^† to distinguish
5. ^† to appreciate
6. ^† to be close friends; close friends

   知己  ―  zhījǐ  ―  close friend

   • 知友  ―  zhīyǒu  ―  close friend
7. ^† to perceive
8. ^† to participate in; to have a hand in
9. ^† knowledge

   求知  ―  qiúzhī  ―  to seek knowledge

   • 無知／无知  ―  wúzhī  ―  ignorant
10. (～母) (phonology) a Middle Chinese initial and the 'Phags-pa script letter ꡆ (j-)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (知):

• → Japanese: 知(ち) (chi)
• → Korean: 지(知) (ji)
• → Vietnamese: tri (知)

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zhì (zhi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄓˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chṳ
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): tì

  (Teochew, Peng'im): di³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zhì
    • Zhuyin: ㄓˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jhìh
    • Wade–Giles: chih⁴
    • Yale: jr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyh
    • Palladius: чжи (čži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zi³
    • Yale: ji
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi³
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chṳ
    • Hakka Romanization System: zii
    • Hagfa Pinyim: zi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sɨ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tì
    • Tâi-lô: tì
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dix
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ti²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ti⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ti²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ti¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ti²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: di³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tì
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ti²¹³/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 知

1. ^† Original form of 智 (zhì, “knowing, wisdom, intelligence”).

   • 子曰：「由！誨女知之乎？知之為知之，不知為不知，是知也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     子曰：「由！诲女知之乎？知之为知之，不知为不知，是知也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zǐ yuē: “Yóu! Huì rǔ zhì zhī hū? Zhī zhī wéi zhī zhī, bù zhī wéi bù zhī, shì zhì yě.” [Pinyin]

     The Master said, "You, shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge."

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

知

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

1. to know
2. wisdom

Readings

• Go-on: ち (chi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: ち (chi, Jōyō)
• Kun: しる (shiru, 知る, Jōyō); しらせる (shiraseru, 知せる)
• Nanori: さとる (satoru); とも (tomo); さとし (satoshi); さとり (satori); ちか (chika); ちさき (chisaki); つかさ (tsukasa); ともこ (tomoko)

Compounds

Compounds

• 英知(えいち) (eichi)
• 御知(おし)らせ (oshirase)
• 感知(かんち) (kanchi): perception
• 機知(きち) (kichi)
• 知恵(ちえ) (chie)
• 知性(ちせい) (chisei): the mind
• 知能(ちのう) (chinō)
• 知謀(ちぼう) (chibō)
• 八(や)俣(またの)遠(お)呂(ろ)知(ち) (Yamata-no-Orochi)
• 無知(むち) (muchi)
• 理知(りち) (richi)

Kanji in this term
知
ち Grade: 2
on'yomi

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese 智 (trje^H, “wisdom”).

Alternative forms

• 智

Noun

知(ち) • (chi) 

1. wisdom

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Korean

Hanja

知 (eumhun 알 지 (al ji))

1. know

Compounds

• 知人 (지인, ji-in): acquaintance
• 知識 (지식, ji-sik) : knowledge

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 知 (tri, trơ)

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