甸 |
PINYIN | ||||
diàn |
|||||
Main meanings: ① suburbs, pastures.
|
|||||
|
|||||
Etymology:
Elements ---- Include, wrap 勹 + field 田. Phonetic series 田.
Originally fields, same than 佃. Later the fields田included (勹 for 包) in the domains of the lord of a city > imperial fields. There was the city (城), the suburbs (郊), outside the city, and the domain (甸), outside the suburbs.Main Words:
沉甸甸 chéndiāndiān heavy.
甸地 diàndì outskirts of a capital.Discussion and sources
There are two related interpretations of this character. As in Bronze Characters it was the same than 佃, and was a person working in a field, the new character is interpreted as a person bent勹 working in the fields, now in the imperial domains. The other says it is the fields 田included (勹 for 包) in the domains of the lord of a city.
Copyright © www.chinaviva.com 2015
