宣

See also: 宜, and 冝

宣 U+5BA3, 宣 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5BA3 ← 客 [U+5BA2] CJK Unified Ideographs 室 → [U+5BA4]

Translingual

Han character

Stroke order

宣 (Kangxi radical 40, 宀+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 十一日一 (JMAM), four-corner 3010₆, composition ⿱宀亘)

Derived characters

• 萱, 箮, 𠊿, 喧, 塇, 媗, 愃, 揎, 暄, 楦, 渲, 煊, 𤚗, 瑄, 睻, 碹, 縇, 翧, 蝖, 諠, 鍹, 鰚, 䙋, 䳦, 𤸧

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 284, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7132
• Dae Jaweon: page 562, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 923, character 10
• Unihan data for U+5BA3

Chinese

simp. and trad.		宣
2nd round simp.		㝉
alternative forms		𠖚 historical 𡨈 historical 𡩦 historical 𡪏 historical 亘

Glyph origin

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

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

	Old Chinese
烜	*qʰrolʔ, *qʰonʔ
貆	*qʰoːn, *ɡoːn, *qʰon
峘	*ɡoːn, *ɡɯːŋ
狟	*ɡoːn
絙	*ɡoːn, *kɯːŋ
荁	*ɡoːn
宣	*sqʰon
咺	*qʰonʔ
暅	*qʰonʔ
桓	*ɡʷaːn
洹	*ɡʷaːn, *ɢʷan
揎	*sqʰʷan
愃	*sqʰʷan, *qʰʷanʔ
瑄	*sqʰʷan
渲	*sqʰʷans
喧	*qʰʷan
萱	*qʰʷan
暄	*qʰʷan
諠	*qʰʷan
翧	*qʰʷan
蝖	*qʰʷan
垣	*ɢʷan
楦	*qʰʷans

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sqʰon) : semantic 宀 (“roof”) + phonetic 亘 (). The character originally represented the main hall where the emperor resided. By extension, it came to be used to mean "clear" or "evident."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): xuān (xuan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄩㄢ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): xuan¹

• Cantonese (Jyutping): syun¹
• Gan (Wiktionary): xyon¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): siên
• Jin (Wiktionary): xye¹
• Eastern Min (BUC): sŏng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): soeng¹ / syeng¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): soan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): suang¹ / suêng¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xuān
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄩㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: syuan
    • Wade–Giles: hsüan¹
    • Yale: sywān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiuan
    • Palladius: сюань (sjuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy̯ɛn⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: xuan¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xuan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕyan⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: syun¹
    • Yale: syūn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: syn¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xun¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /syːn⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: xyon¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕyɵn⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: siên
    • Hakka Romanization System: xien^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xian¹
    • Sinological IPA: /si̯en²⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: xye¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕye¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sŏng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /souŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: soeng¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬœŋ⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: syeng¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬyøŋ⁵³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: soan
    • Tâi-lô: suan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: soafn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /suan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /suan³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /suan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /suan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /suan⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: suang¹ / suêng¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: suang / sueng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /suaŋ³³/, /sueŋ³³/

Note:

• suang1 - Shantou;
• suêng1 - Chaozhou.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹shi
    • MiniDict: shi^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: sjwen

Rime
Character	宣
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	仙 (78)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	須緣切
Baxter	sjwen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siuᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/sʷiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/sjuæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/swian/
Li Rong	/siuɛn/
Wang Li	/sĭwɛn/
Bernard Karlgren	/si̯wɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xuān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	syun1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s-qʷar/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sqʰon/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	宣
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xuān
Middle Chinese	‹ sjwen ›
Old Chinese	/*s-qʷar/
English	spread (v.)
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	宣
Reading #	1/1
No.	3954
Phonetic component	亘
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	宣
Old Chinese	/*sqʰon/

Definitions

宣

1. (literary or in compounds) to declare; to announce; to proclaim

   宣言  ―  xuānyán  ―  declaration

   宣誓  ―  xuānshì  ―  oath

   1. (archaic) to command (from a sovereign to a subject)
2. (literary) to spread; to diffuse; to circulate
   1. widespread; in wide circulation
   2. to drain (liquid)

      • 以側微不欲有娠，宣于寢席，后卽吸之，遂有娠生子。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

        From: 《高麗史》 (History of Goryeo), 1451

        I cheuk mi bul yok yusin, seon u chimseok, hu jeuk heup ji, su yousin saengja. [Sino-Korean]

        Because her relatives were lowly, he did not want to impregnate her. He ejaculated on the sleeping mat. The lady then absorbed this [into her genitals]. She consequently became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

3. (Internet slang) to like (contraction of 喜歡／喜欢 (xǐhuan))

Compounds

• 不可言宣
• 不宣
• 人權宣言／人权宣言 (Rénquán Xuānyán)
• 仿宣紙／仿宣纸
• 倫敦宣言／伦敦宣言
• 傳宣／传宣
• 共產宣言／共产宣言
• 北上宣言
• 反宣傳／反宣传
• 口宣
• 周宣王
• 宣佈／宣布 (xuānbù)
• 宣傳／宣传 (xuānchuán)
• 宣傳品／宣传品 (xuānchuánpǐn)
• 宣傳單／宣传单
• 宣傳彈／宣传弹
• 宣傳畫／宣传画 (xuānchuánhuà)
• 宣傳車／宣传车 (xuānchuánchē)
• 宣傳週／宣传周
• 宣判 (xuānpàn)
• 宣劑／宣剂
• 宣力
• 宣勞／宣劳
• 宣化 (xuānhuà)
• 宣卷
• 宣取
• 宣召 (xuānzhào)
• 宣吐
• 宣告 (xuāngào)
• 宣告死亡
• 宣和
• 宣和書譜／宣和书谱
• 宣和畫譜／宣和画谱
• 宣威 (Xuānwēi)
• 宣室 (xuānshì)
• 宣室志
• 宣導／宣导 (xuāndǎo)
• 宣尼
• 宣布 (xuānbù)
• 宣德 (Xuāndé)
• 宣德鑪／宣德𬬻
• 宣恩 (Xuān'ēn)
• 宣慰
• 宣戰／宣战 (xuānzhàn)
• 宣戰書／宣战书
• 宣揚／宣扬 (xuānyáng)
• 宣撫／宣抚
• 宣敕
• 宣教 (xuānjiào)
• 宣旨 (xuānzhǐ)
• 宣明 (xuānmíng)
• 宣泄 (xuānxiè)
• 宣流
• 宣洩／宣泄 (xuānxiè)
• 宣淫
• 宣父
• 宣牌
• 宣示 (xuānshì)
• 宣科
• 宣稱／宣称 (xuānchēng)
• 宣窯／宣窑
• 宣筆／宣笔
• 宣紙／宣纸 (xuānzhǐ)
• 宣統／宣统 (Xuāntǒng)
• 宣腿 (xuāntuǐ)
• 宣言 (xuānyán)
• 宣詔／宣诏
• 宣說／宣说
• 宣誓 (xuānshì)
• 宣諭／宣谕 (xuānyù)
• 宣講／宣讲 (xuānjiǎng)
• 宣議郎／宣议郎
• 宣讀／宣读 (xuāndú)
• 宣贊／宣赞
• 宣騰／宣腾
• 宣麻
• 心照不宣 (xīnzhàobùxuān)
• 承宣
• 文宣 (wénxuān)
• 文宣王
• 死亡宣告
• 漢宣帝／汉宣帝
• 照本宣科 (zhàoběnxuānkē)
• 獨立宣言／独立宣言
• 破產宣告／破产宣告
• 祕而不宣／秘而不宣 (mì'érbùxuān)
• 節宣／节宣
• 許宣／许宣
• 道宣
• 開羅宣言／开罗宣言
• 齊宣王／齐宣王 (Qí Xuān Wáng)

 

References

• “宣”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “宣”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 269.

Japanese

Kanji

宣

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. proclaim, announce
2. say

Readings

• Go-on: せん (sen, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: せん (sen, Jōyō)
• Kun: のたまう (notamau, 宣う)^{←のたまふ (notamafu, 宣ふ, historical)}、のたまわく (notamawaku, 宣わく)^{←のたまはく (notamafaku, 宣はく, historical)}、のべる (noberu, 宣べる)、のる (noru, 宣る)
• Nanori: のぶ (nobu)

Compounds

Compounds

• 宣(せん)言(げん) (sengen, “declaration”)
• 宣(せん)告(こく) (senkoku, “verdict”)
• 宣(せん)誓(せい) (sensei, “pledge, oath”)
• 宣(せん)託(たく) (sentaku)
• 宣(せん)伝(でん) (senden, “advertisement”)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
宣
せん Grade: 6
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 宣 (MC sjwen).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せん [séꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [sẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

宣(せん) • (sen) 

1. proclamation (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

   Synonym: 宣旨 (senji)

Verb

宣(せん)する • (sen suru) suru (stem 宣(せん)し (sen shi), past 宣(せん)した (sen shita))

1. declare (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

   Synonym: 宣言する (sengen suru)

Proper noun

宣(せん) • (Sen) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname

Korean

Hanja

宣 • (seon) (hangeul 선, revised seon, McCune–Reischauer sŏn)

1. To declare, to give, to bestow.

Vietnamese

Han character

宣: Hán Nôm readings: tuyên

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