臣

Han character

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Radical 131 臣

臣 (Kangxi radical 131, 臣+0, 6 strokes in Chinese, 7 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 尸中尸中 (SLSL), four-corner 7171₇, composition ⿺𠃊⿳丅𠃍丅 or ⿷匚⿳丨コ丨 or ⿻巨⿱丨丨)

1. Kangxi radical #131, ⾂.

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 臣, Shang ...

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

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Pictogram (象形) – A vertical eye of a man looking downwards. As an individual character it has taken on the meanings “slave; servant; minister”, while the meaning relating to eyes appears when used as a radical, such as in 臨 (“to look down at”) and 監 (“to inspect”).

Compare 目. Unrelated to 𦣞.

Etymology

In Old Chinese, nominalization with nasal suffix of the verb 視 (OC *ɡljilʔ, *ɡljils, *ɢljils, “to watch”), hence literally "watcher; supervisor" (Schuessler 2007). In the archaic language of the Shang oracle bones (late second millennium BCE), this word referred to "royal officers, many of whose individual names were recorded, who served in the royal court, received the king's orders to launch military expeditions and other tasks, and received royal gifts" (Keightley 2012).

Pronunciation

Definitions

臣

1. (obsolete) slave; servant; captive
2. minister; statesman; official (in feudal society)

   • 己亥卜，貞。令吳小耤臣。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     己亥卜，贞。令吴小耤臣。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Oracle bone, late second millennium BCE, quoted and translated in Working for His Majesty: Research Notes on Labor Mobilization in Late Shang China (ca. 1200–1045 B.C.) by David N. Keightley

     Jǐhài bǔ, zhēn. Lìng Wú xiǎo jí chén. [Pinyin]

     Making cracks on jihai, divined: "[We] order Wu [?] to be the Junior Servitor for Cultivation.

   • 帝曰：「臣作朕股肱耳目。……。」 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Book of Documents, circa 7^th – 4^th centuries BCE

     Dì yuē: “Chén zuò zhèn gǔgōng ěrmù........” [Pinyin]

     The Thearch said, 'My ministers constitute my legs and arms, my ears and eyes. [...]."

   • 定公問：「君使臣，臣事君，如之何？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     定公问：「君使臣，臣事君，如之何？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Dìng gōng wèn: “Jūn shǐ chén, chén shì jūn, rúzhīhé?” [Pinyin]

     The duke Ding asked how a prince should employ his ministers, and how ministers should serve their prince.

   • 九日龍山飲，黃花笑逐臣。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     九日龙山饮，黄花笑逐臣。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 《九日龍山飲/九日龙山饮》 by Li Bai, 762 CE

     Jiǔrì Lóngshān yǐn, huánghuā xiào zhúchén. [Pinyin]

     Drinking at Longshan on the Double Ninth, the yellow blossoms mock the exiled minister.

3. (more broadly) subjects of a monarch

   • 溥天之下，莫非王土。率土之濱，莫非王臣。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     溥天之下，莫非王土。率土之滨，莫非王臣。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Pǔ tiān zhī xià, mòfēi wáng tǔ. Shuàitǔ zhī bīn, mòfēi wáng chén. [Pinyin]

     Under the wide heaven, all is the king's land. Within the sea-boundaries of the land, all are the king's servants.

4. to make a subject

   • 王若負人徒之眾，仗兵革之彊，乘毀魏之威，而欲以力臣天下之主，臣恐其有後患也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王若负人徒之众，仗兵革之强，乘毁魏之威，而欲以力臣天下之主，臣恐其有后患也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Wáng ruò fù réntú zhī zhòng, zhàng bīnggé zhī qiáng, chéng huǐ Wèi zhī wēi, ér yù yǐ lì chén tiānxià zhī zhǔ, chén kǒng qí yǒu hòuhuàn yě. [Pinyin]

     Should Your Majesty rely on the multitude of your subjects and depend on the strength of your weapons, making use of the might with which you laid waste to Wei, with a desire to subjugate the lords of the world by brute force, your servant fears that there may be trouble later on.

5. (humble, historical or archaic) I, me; your servant (humble pronoun, especially when speaking to a monarch)

   • 王若負人徒之眾，仗兵革之彊，乘毀魏之威，而欲以力臣天下之主，臣恐其有後患也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     王若负人徒之众，仗兵革之强，乘毁魏之威，而欲以力臣天下之主，臣恐其有后患也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Wáng ruò fù réntú zhī zhòng, zhàng bīnggé zhī qiáng, chéng huǐ Wèi zhī wēi, ér yù yǐ lì chén tiānxià zhī zhǔ, chén kǒng qí yǒu hòuhuàn yě. [Pinyin]

     Should Your Majesty rely on the multitude of your subjects and depend on the strength of your weapons, making use of the might with which you laid waste to Wei, with a desire to subjugate the lords of the world by brute force, your servant fears that there may be trouble later on.

   • 自壬辰至于五六年間，賊不敢直突於兩湖者，以舟師之扼其路也。今臣戰船尙有十二，出死力拒戰，則猶可爲也。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: Admiral Yi Sun-sin, 1597, quoted in《李忠武公全書》 (Collected Works of Yi, Duke of Loyalty and Martiality), 1795

     자 임진^(으로) 지우 오륙년 간^(에) 적^(이) 불감직돌어양호자^(는) 이주사지액기로야^(니이다). 금 신 전선^(이) 상유십이^(하니) 출사력거전^(이면) 즉 유가위야^(니이다).
     Ja Imjin[-euro] jiu o ryuk nyeon gan[-e], jeog[-i] bulgam jik dol eo Yangho ja[-neun], i jusa ji aek gi ro ya[-niida]. Geum sin jeonseon[-i] sang yu sibi[-hani], chul saryeok geojeon[-imyeon], jeuk yu ga wi ya[-niida]. [Sino-Korean]

     Through the five or six years after 1592, the enemy have not dared directly attack Jeolla and Chungcheong because our fleet guarded their route. Your servant still has twelve battleships today. If we defend with our dying strength, it can still be done.

6. a surname
7. (chiefly Cantonese) A respelling of the English patronymic son

   羅便臣／罗便臣  ―  Luóbiànchén  ―  Robinson

   乃路臣  ―  Nǎilùchén  ―  Nelson

Compounds

References

• “臣”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–