安

Han character

安 (Kangxi radical 40, 宀+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 十女 (JV), four-corner 3040₄, composition ⿱宀女)

Glyph origin

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

Historical forms of the character 安
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 宀 (“house”) + 女 (“a kneeling woman”) – to be at ease, to be safe.

Etymology

calm; peaceful

A parallel stem is 宴 (OC *qeːns, “to be at ease; to rest”) (Wang, 1982; Schuessler, 2007).

Cognate with 按 (OC *qaːns, “to push down with hand”), an exoactive derivative, literally “to cause to be settled; calmed” (ibid.).

Starostin reconstructs Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ʔɨāɫ (“rest”), comparing it to Mizo âwl (“to rest”) (and also noting Dhimal [script needed] (el-ka, “good”)). STEDT, however, traces the Mizo word to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-grwal ~ *ʔwal (“finish, loose, relax”) and did not list 安 (OC *qaːn) among its comparanda: namely 完 (OC *ɦŋoːn), 緩 (OC *ɢʷaːnʔ), 諼 (OC *qʰʷan, *qʰʷanʔ), 援 (OC *ɢʷans, *ɢʷan).

where; how

Cognate with 惡 (OC *qaː, “how”) and 焉 (OC *qran, *qan, “where; how”), the latter of which is probably a variant of 安 (OC *qaːn).

Pronunciation

Definitions

安

1. calm; peaceful; tranquil; quiet

   安寧／安宁  ―  ānníng  ―  peaceful; tranquil

   安睡  ―  ānshuì  ―  to sleep peacefully

   不安  ―  bù'ān  ―  uneasy; disturbed

2. comfortable; at ease

   安逸  ―  ānyì  ―  easy and comfortable

   • 君子食無求飽，居無求安。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子食无求饱，居无求安。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Jūnzǐ shí wú qiú bǎo, jū wú qiú ān. [Pinyin]

     He who aims to be a man of complete virtue in his food does not seek to gratify his appetite, nor in his dwelling place does he seek the appliances of ease.

3. safe; secure

   安然無恙／安然无恙  ―  ānránwúyàng  ―  safe and sound

   轉危為安／转危为安  ―  zhuǎnwēiwéi'ān  ―  avert a danger

   • 是故君子安而不忘危，存而不忘亡，治而不忘亂；是以身安而國家可保也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     是故君子安而不忘危，存而不忘亡，治而不忘乱；是以身安而国家可保也。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Shìgù jūnzǐ ān ér bù wàng wēi, cún ér bù wàng wáng, zhì ér bù wàng luàn; shìyǐ shēn ān ér guójiā kě bǎo yě. [Pinyin]

     Therefore the superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come; when in a state of security, he does not forget the possibility of ruin; and when all is in a state of order, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is kept safe, and his states and all their clans can be preserved.

4. to calm; to pacify

   安神  ―  ānshén  ―  to calm the nerves

   除暴安良  ―  chúbào'ānliáng  ―  to get rid of bullies and bring peace to good people

   天安門／天安门  ―  Tiān'ānmén  ―  Tiananmen, Beijing; literally "the gate of Heaven's peacemaking"

5. to feel satisfied with

   安於現狀／安于现状  ―  ānyúxiànzhuàng  ―  to be content with the status quo (and unwilling to progress)

   安貧樂道／安贫乐道  ―  ānpínyuèdào  ―  to be happy to live a simple and virtuous life

6. to find a place for; to plant

   安插  ―  ānchā  ―  to place (somebody) in a certain position

   安家落戶／安家落户  ―  ānjiāluòhù  ―  to settle in a new place

7. to fit; to install

   安電燈／安电灯  ―  ān diàndēng  ―  to install electric lighting

8. to cherish; to harbour
9. to confer (a title); to bestow; to put (the blame on someone)

   隨便給他安個罪名 [MSC, trad.]
   随便给他安个罪名 [MSC, simp.]

   suíbiàn gěi tā ān ge zuìmíng [Pinyin]

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

10. (Cantonese) ounce

    五安奶 [Cantonese]  ―  ng⁵ on¹ naai⁵ [Jyutping]  ―  five ounces of milk

11. (literary) where

    • 沛公安在？ [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

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

      Pèigōng ān zài? [Pinyin]

      Where is Pei Gong (Liu Bang)?

12. (literary) how; why

    • 暴而不戢，安能保大？ [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

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

      Bào ér bù jí, ān néng bǎo dà? [Pinyin]

      Cruel and not calling in the weapons of war, how can I preserve our greatness?

    • 雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離。兩兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      雄兔脚扑朔，雌兔眼迷离。两兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: 《木蘭詩》; translation by Jack Yuan

      Xióng tù jiǎo pūshuò, cí tù yǎn mílí. Liǎng tù bàng dì zǒu, ān néng biàn wǒ shì xióng cí? [Pinyin]

      The buck bounds here and there, whilst the doe has narrow eyes. But when the two rabbits run side by side, how can you tell the female from the male?

13. (physics) Short for 安培 (ānpéi, “ampere”).
14. Short for 安非他命 (ānfēitāmìng, “amphetamine”).

    吸安  ―  xī'ān  ―  to use amphetamine (illegally)

15. Short for 安那其主義／安那其主义 (ānnàqí zhǔyì, “anarchism”).
16. a surname

    安祿山／安禄山  ―  Ān Lùshān  ―  An Lushan

    1. (historical) a surname. Given to people from the Arsacid or Parthian Empire (安息 or 安國／安国)

Compounds

Descendants

Kanji

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 安 (MC 'an).

Affix

安(あん) • (an) 

1. calm; peaceful
2. tranquil
3. safe; secure
4. easy; simple
5. (chemistry) ammonium

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [a̠n]
• Phonetic hangul: [안]

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

安

Wikisource 安 (eumhun 편안 안 (pyeonan an))

1. hanja form^? of 안 (“peace, peacefulness”)

Adjective

安 (an; yên)

1. Nôm form of an (“peaceful”).

   神符法主禁㐌安

   Thần phù phép chúa cổm đạ an

   With the god's spells, the Then lords are now at peace

2. Nôm form of yên (“peaceful”).

   害立他安志茶𫺒

   Hại lắp tha yên chí dá dan

   Close your eyes, believe and don't get startled

Classifier

安 (ăn)

1. Nôm form of ăn (“Used for inanimate things that lack specific classifiers”).

   安腩𫭻咹奏

   Ăn nồm cợ ăn tẩu

   A breast as big as a bottle gourd

Noun

安 (ăn)

1. Nôm form of ăn (“thing, specifically fruit”).

   𣅃𪾦𫇥齐痚云安

   Pjục lừ bjoóc te̱ héo pền ăn

   Tomorrow, the flower will wither and bear fruits.

References

• Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội