降

Translingual

Alternative forms

Two Unicode z-code variants, at code points U+964D (main) and U+FA09 (alt).

Han character

降 (Kangxi radical 170, 阜+6 in Chinese, 阜+7 in Japanese, 9 strokes in Chinese, 10 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 弓中竹水手 (NLHEQ), four-corner 7725₄, composition ⿰阝夅)

Derived terms

• 隆

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1349, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 41620
• Dae Jaweon: page 1852, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 4126, character 18
• Unihan data for U+964D
• Unihan data for U+FA09

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Chinese

trad.		降
simp. #		降
alternative forms		𫱔 (kiung) Hakka

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 降
Shang	Western Zhou
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions

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

	Old Chinese
贛	*kluːmʔ, *kluːms, *kromʔ, *kloːms
灨	*kluːmʔ, *kluːms
竷	*kʰluːms
戇	*kr'oːms, *qʰloːms
洚	*kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ, *ɡloːŋ, *ɡluːŋ
降	*kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ
絳	*kruːŋs
栙	*ɡruːŋ
夅	*ɡruːŋ
跭	*ɡruːŋ
隆	*ɡ·ruːŋ
癃	*ɡ·ruːŋ
窿	*ɡ·ruːŋ
霳	*ɡ·ruːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kruːŋs, *ɡruːŋ) : semantic 阝 (“hill, wall”) + phonetic 夅 (OC *ɡruːŋ, “descend”) – descending a hill.

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiàng (jiang⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gong³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kong / kiung
• Eastern Min (BUC): gáung
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kàng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gang³

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵kaon

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jiàng
    • Wade–Giles: chiang⁴
    • Yale: jyàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jianq
    • Palladius: цзян (czjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gong³
    • Yale: gong
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gong³
    • Guangdong Romanization: gong³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːŋ³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kong / kiung
    • Hakka Romanization System: gong / giung
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gong⁴ / giung⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /koŋ⁵⁵/, /ki̯uŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

• kiung - only in the sense “to give birth”;
• kong - all other senses.

• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gáung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɑuŋ²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kàng
    • Tâi-lô: kàng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kaxng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kaŋ²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kaŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kaŋ¹¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gang³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵kaon
    • MiniDict: kaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²kaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kɑ̃³⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: kaewngH

Rime
Character	降
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	江 (9)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	古巷切
Baxter	kaewngH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kˠʌŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/kᵚɔŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/kɔŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kaɨwŋH/
Li Rong	/kɔŋH/
Wang Li	/kɔŋH/
Bernard Karlgren	/kɔŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jiàng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gong3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kˤruŋ-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kruːŋs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	降
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jiàng
Middle Chinese	‹ kæwngH ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁruŋ-s/ (? < *-[u]m-s)
English	descend
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	降
Reading #	1/2
No.	6279
Phonetic component	夅
Rime group	終
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	絳
Old Chinese	/*kruːŋs/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 降

1. to fall; to drop; to descend; to come down

   降落  ―  jiàngluò  ―  to fall; to land

2. (honorific) to visit; to honour with one's presence
3. to bestow; to confer

   天降喪亂，饑饉薦臻。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
   天降丧乱，饥馑荐臻。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

   From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

   Tiān jiàng sāngluàn, jījǐn jiànzhēn. [Pinyin]

   That Heaven [thus] sends down death and disorder?
   Famine comes again and again.

4. to reduce; to decrease; to lower
5. (music) flat (♭)
6. to be born
7. (Hakka) to give birth
8. a surname

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiáng (xiang²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hong⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): hòng
• Eastern Min (BUC): hòng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): hâng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hang⁵

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶ghaon

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siáng
    • Wade–Giles: hsiang²
    • Yale: syáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyang
    • Palladius: сян (sjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hong⁴
    • Yale: hòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːŋ²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: hongˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: hong²
    • Sinological IPA: /hoŋ¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: hòng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /houŋ⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hâng
    • Tâi-lô: hâng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: haang
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /haŋ¹³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /haŋ²³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen): /haŋ²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hang⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hâng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶ghaon
    • MiniDict: ghaon^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦɑ̃²³/

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• Middle Chinese: haewng

Rime
Character	降
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	江 (9)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	下江切
Baxter	haewng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠʌŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦᵚɔŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɔŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦaɨwŋ/
Li Rong	/ɣɔŋ/
Wang Li	/ɣɔŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣɔŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiáng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hong4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m-kˤru[ŋ]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡruːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	降
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiáng
Middle Chinese	‹ hæwng ›
Old Chinese	/*m-kˁru[ŋ]/ (? < *-[u]m)
English	submit
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	降
Reading #	2/2
No.	6281
Phonetic component	夅
Rime group	終
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	栙
Old Chinese	/*ɡruːŋ/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 降

1. to surrender; to capitulate; to give in

   投降  ―  tóuxiáng  ―  to surrender

2. to subdue; to vanquish

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

降

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. descend
2. precipitate
3. fall
4. surrender

Readings

• Go-on: こう (kō, Jōyō)^{←こう (kou, historical)}; ごう (gō)^{←ごう (gou, historical)}
• Kan-on: こう (kō, Jōyō)^{←かう (kau, historical)}
• Kun: おりる (oriru, 降りる, Jōyō); おろす (orosu, 降ろす, Jōyō); くだる (kudaru, 降る); ふり (furi, 降り); ふる (furu, 降る, Jōyō)
• Nanori: ふり (furi); ふる (furu)

Derived terms

• 降(お)りる (oriru)
• 降(ふ)る (furu)
• 降(お)ろす (orosu)

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Korean

Etymology 1

Middle Chinese *kɣʌŋH.

Hanja

降 • (gang)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 강 (revised: gang, McCune–Reischauer: kang, Yale: kang)
  • Name (hangeul): 내릴 강
    

1. descent; descending

Derived terms

• 강단하다 (降壇하다, gangdanhada, “step down from a platform”)

Etymology 2

Middle Chinese *ɦɣʌŋ.

Hanja

降 • (hang)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 항 (revised: hang, McCune–Reischauer: hang)
  • Name (hangeul): 항복할 항
    

1. surrender

Derived terms

• 항복

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 降 (giáng, giuống, hàng, nháng)

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