元 - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

See also: 兀, 示, and 亓

Stroke order

元 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一一山 (MMU), four-corner 1021₁, composition ⿱一兀 or ⿱二儿)

• 远, 㝴, 㒬, 兘, 㒮, 刓, 邧, 㪴, 頑 (顽), 䲮, 坖, 䲶, 黿, 鼋
• 完, 芫, 笎, 䨌, 髨, 䦎 (𰿨), 园, 衏, 冠, 㓂, 冦, 宼, 寇, 窛
• 㐾, 坃, 妧, 岏, 忨, 抏, 沅, 阮, 朊, 杬, 玩, 䏓, 盶, 蚖, 䛃, 貦 (𰷡), 䡇 (𰹷), 酛, 鈨, 䬧 (𫗟), 䯈, 魭 (𱇐), 翫

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 123, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1340
• Dae Jaweon: page 258, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 264, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5143

• 元 on Wikidata.Wikidata

simp. and trad.		元

Pictogram (象形) – a figure with two lines 二 for a head (one connected to body, one above it), emphasizing the head.

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s-gaw (“head”), with a noun-forming suffix *-n (Schuessler, 2003; STEDT). If so, cognate with 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, “ruler; lord; queen”), Tibetan མགོ (mgo, “head; summit; beginning”), མགོན (mgon, “protector; master; lord”), Garo sko (“skull”), Northern Tujia kho⁵⁵ pa⁵⁵ (“head”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). 原 (OC *ŋʷan, “source; origin; basic; primary”) and 黿 (OC *ŋoːn, *ŋon, “large turtle”) may be the same word (Schuessler, 2007). It may also be related to 君 (OC *klun, “lord; prince; ruler”), 尹 (OC *ɢʷlinʔ, “magistrate; governor”), 侯 (OC *ɡoː, “marquis”) (Mei, 1985).

The name of the dynasty comes from the I Ching:

Part of the people with this surname are Xianbei descendants. It was changed from 拓跋 (Tuòbá) as ordered by Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.

元

1. first; initial; primary; beginning

   元年  ―  yuánnián  ―  first year of an imperial reign

2. chief; principal; leading

   元惡／元恶  ―  yuán'è  ―  chief criminal

3. basic; fundamental

   元素  ―  yuánsù  ―  (chemical) element

4. (～朝) Yuan Dynasty

   元曲  ―  yuánqū  ―  Yuan dynasty theater

5. meta-

   元語言／元语言  ―  yuányǔyán  ―  metalanguage

6. unit; component; part

   單元／单元  ―  dānyuán  ―  unit

7. essential factor; (key) element

   多元  ―  duōyuán  ―  multielement

8. (mathematics) variable; argument; unknown; element

   消元法  ―  xiāoyuánfǎ  ―  method of elimination (literally, “method of eliminating matrix elements”)

   立天元一 [Classical Chinese]  ―  lì tiānyuán yī [Pinyin]  ―  Let x be the unknown variable in the equation.

   主元  ―  zhǔyuán  ―  pivot

   線元／线元  ―  xiànyuán  ―  line element

9. (alt. form 圓／圆) coin of fixed value and weight

   銀元／银元  ―  yínyuán  ―  silver dollar

10. (alt. form 圓／圆) Classifier for yuan or dollars.

    一元人民幣／一元人民币  ―  yī yuán rénmínbì  ―  one Chinese yuan

11. (alt. form 圓／圆) a surname

    元好問／元好问  ―  Yuán Hàowèn  ―  Yuan Haowen (Jin dynasty poet)

12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) head

    • 狄人歸元，三軍悽愴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      狄人归元，三军凄怆。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: c. 578, Yu Xin, The Lament for the South (《哀江南賦》)

      Dí rén guī yuán, sānjūn qīchuàng. [Pinyin]

      The barbaric enemy returned his severed head, and every soldier grieved in deep sorrow.

13. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) large; big
14. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) good; virtuous; kind
15. (Hong Kong) short for 元朗 (Yuánlǎng, “Yuen Long”)
16. (Taiwan, geology) eon (geochronologic unit)
17. (～日) (telegraphy) the thirteenth day of a month
18. (Taoism) kalpa; a cosmic or supreme cycle of 129,000 years

    一元12會，共十二萬九千年，周而復始，不斷循環，值致地球毀滅。 [MSC, trad.]
    一元12会，共十二万九千年，周而复始，不断循环，值致地球毁灭。 [MSC, simp.]

    Yī yuán 12 huì, gòng shí'èr wàn jiǔ qiān nián, zhōu'érfùshǐ, bù duàn xúnhuán, zhí zhì dìqiú huǐmiè. [Pinyin]

    Each kalpa has 12 epochs and lasts 129,000 years, repeating endlessly, each kalpa ending with the destruction of the world.

19. alternative form of 原 (yuán, “origin; source”)
20. alternative form of 玄 (xuán) (contained in the name of 玄燁)

• (the Yuan dynasty):

• (eon): (Mainland China) 宙 (zhòu)

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 CE	Western Han 西漢 / 西汉
		Xin 新 (～朝)
		Eastern Han 東漢 / 东汉
Three Kingdoms 三國 / 三国	220 – 280 CE	Wei 魏
		Shu Han 蜀漢 / 蜀汉
		Wu 吳 / 吴
Jin 晉 / 晋 (～朝, ～代)	265 – 420 CE	Western Jin 西晉 / 西晋
		Eastern Jin 東晉 / 东晋
Southern and Northern dynasties 南北朝	420 – 589 CE	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 CE
Tang 唐 (～朝, ～代)	618 – 907 CE
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 五代十國 / 五代十国	907 – 960 CE
Liao 遼 / 辽 (～朝, ～代)	907 – 1125 CE
Song 宋 (～朝, ～代)	960 – 1279 CE	Northern Song 北宋
		Southern Song 南宋
Western Xia 西夏	1038 – 1227 CE
Jin 金 (～朝, ～代)	1115 – 1234 CE
Western Liao 西遼 / 西辽	1124 – 1218 CE
Yuan 元 (～朝, ～代)	1271 – 1368 CE
Ming 明 (～朝, ～代)	1368 – 1644 CE
Qing 清 (～朝, ～代)	1636 – 1912 CE
Republic of China 中華民國 / 中华民国	1912 CE – present	Note: In Chinese contexts
People's Republic of China 中華人民共和國 / 中华人民共和国	1949 CE – present	Note: In Chinese contexts

Others:

• → English: yuan

• “元”, 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–

元

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: ごん (gon)
• Kan-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)^{←げん (gen, historical)←ぐゑん (gwen, ancient)}
• Tō-on: がん (gan, Jōyō)^{←ぐわん (gwan, historical)}
• Kun: もと (moto, 元, Jōyō)、こうべ (kōbe, 元)
• Nanori: はじめ (hajime)

Kanji in this term
元
もと Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
本 原 基 素

⟨mo₂to₂⟩ → /moto/

From Old Japanese. Cited to the Kojiki of 712 CE.^[1] From Proto-Japonic *mətə. Doublet of 下(もと) (moto, “base, basis”).^[2][3] Cognate with Okinawan 元 (mutu).

• (Tokyo) もと [mòtóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2]
• (Tokyo) もと [mòtó] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [mo̞to̞]

元(もと) • (moto) 

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost

   元(もと)がとれる ― moto ga toreru ― to be able to cover the cost

4. (finance) capital

   2000円(にせんえん)の元(もと)を取(と)る

   nisen-en no moto o toru

   to get one's 2000 yen's worth

   (literally, “to take the 2000 yen principal”)

5. principal

元(もと) • (moto-) 

1. former, erstwhile, ex-

   元(もと)カレ、元(もと)カノ ― motokare, motokano ― ex-boyfriend, ex-girlfriend

   プロジェクトの元(もと)・担(たん)当(とう)者(しゃ)の田(た)中(なか)氏(し)

   purojekuto no moto tantōsha no Tanaka-shi

   former project manager Tanaka

Kanji in this term
元
げん Grade: 2
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 元 (MC ngjwon)

元(げん) • (Gen) 

1. the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)

元(げん) • (gen) 

1. yuan (currency)

   Synonym: ユアン

From 始(はじ)め (hajime, “beginning”).

• IPA^(key): [ha̠ʑime̞]

元(はじめ) • (Hajime) 

1. a male given name

• “元”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

元 (eumhun 으뜸 원 (eutteum won))

1. Hanja form^? of 원 (“chief”).

• 本, 原, 基, 素

元

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): ぐゎん (gwan)、じん (jin)
• Kun: むとぅ (mutu, 元)、むーとぅ (mūtu, 元)

Kanji in this term
元
むとぅ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Kanji in this term
元
むーとぅ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *moto, from Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with mainland Japanese 元 (moto).

元(むとぅ) or 元(むーとぅ) (mutu or mūtu) 

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost
4. origin
5. (finance) capital
6. principal

元: Hán Nôm readings: nguyên, nguyễn

1. source, origin, base
2. a family name