秦

See also: 奉, 奏, and 泰

秦 U+79E6, 秦 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-79E6 ← 秥 [U+79E5] CJK Unified Ideographs 秧 → [U+79E7]

Translingual

Han character

秦 (Kangxi radical 115, 禾+5, 10 strokes, cangjie input 手大竹木 (QKHD), four-corner 5090₄, composition ⿱𡗗禾)

Derived characters

• 榛, 䆐, 溱

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 851, character 30
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24995
• Dae Jaweon: page 1275, character 28
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2597, character 5
• Unihan data for U+79E6

Chinese

trad.		秦
simp. #		秦
alternative forms		𥠼 𣜈 𥘿 𥢮 𥣠

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 秦
Shang		Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Shizhoupian script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
轃	*ʔsiːn, *ʔsrin
秦	*zin
螓	*zin
臻	*ʔsrin
蓁	*ʔsrin
搸	*ʔsrin
溱	*ʔsrin
榛	*ʔsrin

In the oracle bone script, an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 午 (“pestle”, the original form of 杵) + 廾 (“two hands”) + two 禾 (“grain”). The most conservative variant is 𥢮. A form of its bronze inscription containing only one 禾 developed into the subsequent small seal script form in Shuowen. The 午 and 廾 components have fused into 𡗗 in the modern form. Old Chinese *dzin may derive from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-dz(j)a-k/n/t/s (“to eat; food; to feed; rice”), also recorded as *dzaʔ (Schuessler, 2007).

According to Shuowen Jiezi, the glyph is an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : abbreviated 舂 (“to pound grain”) + 禾 (“grain”) – husked grain. However this would necessitate a phonological shift that is considered unlikely, and furthermore is likely a folk etymology altogether.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): Qín (Qin²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄣˊ

  (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): Qín

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ceon⁴

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): tun³

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhìn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): qin²

• Northern Min (KCR): cěng
• Eastern Min (BUC): cìng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): zing²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chîn

  (Teochew, Peng'im): cing⁵

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶zhin / ²zin / ²jin

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Qín
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Cín
    • Wade–Giles: Chʻin²
    • Yale: Chín
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Chyn
    • Palladius: Цинь (Cinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰin³⁵/
  • (Xi'an)
    • Guanzhong Pinyin: Qín
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰiẽ²⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ceon⁴
    • Yale: chèuhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoen⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: cên⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɵn²¹/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: tun³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰun²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: qin^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: qin²
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰin¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: qin²
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰin¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cěng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡seiŋ²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: cìng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siŋ⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: zing²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siŋ¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chîn
    • Tâi-lô: tsîn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ciin
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sin¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sin²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sin²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: cing⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshîng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶zhin
    • MiniDict: zhin^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³xxin
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ʑin²³/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ²zin
    • MiniDict: zin^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /zin²²³/
  • (Northern: Hangzhou)
    • Wugniu: ²jin
    • MiniDict: jin^平
    • Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /d͡ʑin²³/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 秦
Mandarin	Beijing	/t͡ɕʰin³⁵/
	Harbin	/t͡ɕʰin²⁴/
	Tianjin	/t͡ɕʰin⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/t͡ɕʰiẽ⁴²/
	Qingdao	/t͡sʰiə̃⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/t͡sʰin⁴²/
	Xi'an	/t͡ɕʰiẽ²⁴/
	Xining	/t͡ɕʰiə̃²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/t͡ɕʰĩn⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/t͡ɕʰin²¹³/
	Chengdu	/t͡ɕʰin³¹/
	Guiyang	/t͡ɕʰin²¹/
	Kunming	/t͡ɕʰĩ²¹²/
	Nanjing	/t͡ɕʰin²⁴/
	Hefei	/t͡ɕʰin⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/t͡ɕʰiəŋ¹¹/
	Pingyao	/t͡sʰəŋ¹³/
	Hohhot	/t͡ɕʰĩŋ³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ʑiŋ²³/
	Suzhou	/zin¹³/
	Hangzhou	/d͡ʑin²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/zaŋ³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/t͡sʰiʌ̃⁴⁴/
	Tunxi	/t͡sʰin⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/t͡sin¹³/
	Xiangtan	/d͡zin¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡ɕʰin²⁴/
Hakka	Meixian	/t͡sʰin¹¹/
	Taoyuan
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡sʰøn²¹/
	Nanning	/t͡sʰɐn²¹/
	Hong Kong	/t͡sʰøn²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/t͡sin³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/t͡siŋ⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/t͡seiŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡sʰiŋ⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/sun³¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: dzin

Rime
Character	秦
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	匠鄰切
Baxter	dzin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ziɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡zin/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡zjen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡zin/
Li Rong	/d͡ziĕn/
Wang Li	/d͡zĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/d͡zʱi̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qín
Expected Cantonese Reflex	can4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[dz]i[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*zin/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	秦
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	qín
Middle Chinese	‹ dzin ›
Old Chinese	/*[dz]i[n]/
English	Qín (place name)
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	秦
Reading #	1/1
No.	10497
Phonetic component	秦
Rime group	眞
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	秦
Old Chinese	/*zin/

Definitions

秦

1. (～國) State of Qin (in ancient China)

   • 晉侯、秦伯圍鄭，以其無禮於晉，且貳於楚也。晉軍函陵，秦軍氾南。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     晋侯、秦伯围郑，以其无礼于晋，且贰于楚也。晋军函陵，秦军氾南。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Jìn hóu, Qín bó wéi Zhèng, yǐ qí wúlǐ yú Jìn, qiě èr yú Chǔ yě. Jìn jūn Hánlíng, Qín jūn Fánnán. [Pinyin]

     The Marquis of Jin and the Earl of Qin laid siege to [the capital of] Zheng, under the pretext of the [Earl of] Zheng's disrespectful treatments towards [Marquis of] Jin and double-mindedness towards Chu. Jin armies were stationed at Hanling; Qin armies at Fannan.

2. (～朝) Qin dynasty, first imperial dynasty of China
3. Qin, a general area of central-west China in modern-day Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces
4. plain with river
5. a surname

   秦良玉  ―  Qín Liángyù  ―  Qin Liangyu (Ming dynasty female general)

   關公戰秦瓊／关公战秦琼  ―  Guān Gōng zhàn Qín Qióng  ―  Guan Yu fights Qin Qiong

See also

Dynasties (朝代) in Chinese history
Name	Time period	Divisions
Xia 夏 (～朝, ～代)	2070 – 1600 BCE
Shang 商 (～朝, ～代) 殷 (～朝, ～代)	1600 – 1046 BCE
Zhou 周 (～朝, ～代)	1046 – 256 BCE	Western Zhou 西周
		Eastern Zhou 東周 / 东周	Spring and Autumn period 春秋
			Warring States period 戰國 / 战国
Qin 秦 (～朝, ～代)	221 – 206 BCE
Han 漢 / 汉 (～朝, ～代)	206 BCE – 220 C.E.	Western Han 西漢 / 西汉
		Xin 新 (～朝)
		Eastern Han 東漢 / 东汉
Three Kingdoms 三國 / 三国	220 – 280 C.E.	Wei 魏
		Shu Han 蜀漢 / 蜀汉
		Wu 吳 / 吴
Jin 晉 / 晋 (～朝, ～代)	265 – 420 C.E.	Western Jin 西晉 / 西晋
		Eastern Jin 東晉 / 东晋
Southern and Northern dynasties 南北朝	420 – 589 C.E.	Northern dynasties 北朝	Northern Wei 北魏
			Western Wei 西魏
			Eastern Wei 東魏 / 东魏
			Northern Zhou 北周
			Northern Qi 北齊 / 北齐
		Southern dynasties 南朝	Liu Song 劉宋 / 刘宋
			Southern Qi 南齊 / 南齐
			Liang 梁 (～朝, ～代)
			Chen 陳 / 陈 (～朝, ～代)
Sui 隋 (～朝, ～代)	581 – 618 C.E.
Tang 唐 (～朝, ～代)	618 – 907 C.E.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 五代十國 / 五代十国	907 – 960 C.E.
Liao 遼 / 辽 (～朝, ～代)	907 – 1125 C.E.
Song 宋 (～朝, ～代)	960 – 1279 C.E.	Northern Song 北宋
		Southern Song 南宋
Western Xia 西夏	1038 – 1227 C.E.
Jin 金 (～朝, ～代)	1115 – 1234 C.E.
Western Liao 西遼 / 西辽	1124 – 1218 C.E.
Yuan 元 (～朝, ～代)	1271 – 1368 C.E.
Ming 明 (～朝, ～代)	1368 – 1644 C.E.
Qing 清 (～朝, ～代)	1636 – 1912 C.E.

Compounds

• 三戶亡秦 / 三户亡秦
• 三秦 (Sānqín)
• 以諧秦晉 / 以谐秦晋
• 先秦 (xiānqín)
• 先秦諸子 / 先秦诸子
• 前秦 (Qián Qín)
• 劇秦美新 / 剧秦美新
• 大秦 (Dàqín)
• 後秦 / 后秦 (Hòuqín)
• 得成秦晉 / 得成秦晋
• 暮楚朝秦 (mùchǔzhāoqín)
• 朝秦暮楚 (zhāoqínmùchǔ)
• 椎秦
• 楚館秦樓 / 楚馆秦楼
• 泊秦淮
• 視同秦越 / 视同秦越
• 秦中
• 秦俑 (Qínyǒng)
• 秦刻石
• 秦古 (Qíngǔ)
• 秦吉了 (qínjíliǎo)
• 秦咀 (Qínzuǐ)
• 秦國 / 秦国 (Qínguó)
• 秦城 (Qínchéng)
• 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng)
• 秦始皇陵
• 秦孝公
• 秦家坪 (Qínjiāpíng)
• 秦嶺 / 秦岭 (Qínlǐng)
• 秦川
• 秦川女
• 秦州 (Qínzhōu)
• 秦市 (Qínshì)
• 秦庭之哭
• 秦庭朗鏡 / 秦庭朗镜
• 秦庭歸璧 / 秦庭归璧
• 秦昭王
• 秦晉 / 秦晋 (qínjìn)
• 秦晉之好 / 秦晋之好
• 秦晉之緣 / 秦晋之缘
• 秦書八體 / 秦书八体
• 秦朝 (Qíncháo)
• 秦椒 (qínjiāo)
• 秦樓 / 秦楼
• 秦樓楚館 / 秦楼楚馆
• 秦樓謝館 / 秦楼谢馆
• 秦橋 / 秦桥
• 秦歡晉愛 / 秦欢晋爱
• 秦淮河 (Qínhuái Hé)
• 秦灰
• 秦獻公 / 秦献公
• 秦王構石 / 秦王构石
• 秦琴 (qínqín)
• 秦皇島 / 秦皇岛 (Qínhuángdǎo)
• 秦穆公
• 秦箏 / 秦筝 (qínzhēng)
• 秦篆 (qínzhuàn)
• 秦聲 / 秦声
• 秦腔 (Qínqiāng)
• 秦良玉
• 秦艽 (qínjiāo)
• 秦襄公
• 秦誓
• 秦贅 / 秦赘
• 秦越
• 秦鏡 / 秦镜
• 秦鏡高懸 / 秦镜高悬
• 秦關 / 秦关
• 秦隸 / 秦隶
• 秦香蓮 / 秦香莲
• 胡秦
• 苻秦
• 蘇秦刺股 / 苏秦刺股
• 西秦 (Xīqín)
• 西秦戲 / 西秦戏
• 越人視秦 / 越人视秦
• 避秦 (bìqín)
• 鳳去秦樓 / 凤去秦楼

 

Descendants

• → English: Ch'in, Chin, Qin, Tsin
• →? Sanskrit: चीन (cīna)
  • Niya Prakrit: 𐨕𐨁𐨣 (cina), 𐨕𐨁𐨎𐨣 (ciṃna)
  • → Middle Persian: 𐭰𐭩𐭭 (čīn)
    • Classical Persian: چین (čīn)
      • Dari: چین (čīn)
      • Iranian Persian: چین (čin)
      • Tajik: Чин (Čin)
      • → Arabic: اَلصِّين (aṣ-ṣīn)
        • → Ancient Greek: Θῖνα (Thîna), Θῖναι (Thînai), Σῖναι (Sînai), Τζίνιστα (Tzínista)
        • → Latin: Sinae
          • → Portuguese: China
            • → Italian: Cina
            • → Sardinian: Cina
            • → English: China
  • → Middle Chinese: 支那 (MC tsye na)
    • Chinese: 支那 (Zhīnà)
    • → Japanese: 支那 (しな, shina)
    • → Korean: 지나 (jina)
    • → Vietnamese: Chi Na
  • → Malay: Cina
    • Indonesian: Cina
  • → Malayalam: ചീന (cīna)
  • → Telugu: చీనా (cīnā)
  • → Kannada: ಚೀನಾ (cīnā)

References

• “秦”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A02923
• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “秦”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 190.

Japanese

Kanji

秦

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

1. Qin dynasty

Readings

• Go-on: じん (jin)
• Kan-on: しん (shin)
• Sō-on: ちん (chin)
• Kun: はた (hata, 秦)、はたしん (hatashin, 秦)
• Nanori: かな (kana)、たい (tai)、はだ (hada)、ひろ (hiro)、まさ (masa)、やす (yasu)

Compounds

Compounds

• 秦篆(しんてん) (Shinten)
• 秦皮(しんぴ) (shinpi)
• 後秦(こうしん) (Kōshin)
• 西秦(せいしん) (Seishin)
• 先秦(せんしん) (Senshin)
• 前秦(ぜんしん) (Zenshin)
• 太秦(うずまさ) (Uzumasa)
• 秦皮(トネリコ) (toneriko)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
秦
しん Jinmeiyō
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 秦 (MC dzin).

Proper noun

秦(しん) • (Shin) 

1. (historical) the Qin dynasty (221-207 BCE), first dynasty of China
2. (historical) name of various states during the Sixteen Kingdoms period:
   1. 前秦 (Zenshin, “Former Qin”, 351-394 CE)
   2. 後秦 (Kōshin, “Later Qin”, 384-417 CE)
   3. 西秦 (Seishin, “Western Qin”, 385-431 CE)
3. a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
秦
はた Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

秦(はた) • (Hata) 

1. a place name
2. a surname

Derived terms

• 秦(はたの)公(きみ)寺(でら) (Hatanokimi-dera)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
秦
はたしん Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

Compound of 秦 (Hata, see above) +‎ 秦 (Shin, “Qin (dynasty)”, see above).

The 秦 kanji itself has a kun-reading of はた (hata).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) はたしん [hàtáshíń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ha̠ta̠ɕĩɴ]

Proper noun

秦(はたしん) • (Hatashin) 

1. Synonym of 秦 (Shin, see above)

Usage notes

This reading is used to distinguish from the 漢音 (kan'on) reading of 晋 (Shin, “Jin dynasty”), itself called 晋 (Susumu-shin). The senses are the same for Etymology 1 above.

Korean

Hanja

秦 • (jin) (hangeul 진, revised jin, McCune–Reischauer chin, Yale cin)

1. Qin

Vietnamese

Han character

秦: Hán Nôm readings: tần, thái

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