若

Stroke order

Japanese

若 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+5, 9 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 8 strokes in simplified Chinese and Japanese, cangjie input 廿大口 (TKR), four-corner 4460₄, composition ⿱艹右)

• 喏 婼 惹 諾 蠚 逽 蹃 箬 楉 鄀

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1023, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30796
• Dae Jaweon: page 1482, character 11
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3187, character 7
• Unihan data for U+82E5

• Unihan data for U+F974

• Unihan data for U+2F998

Historical forms of the character 若
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

Pictogram (象形) – a person combing their hair; obedient.

Later 口 was added and the original component came to be written 叒.

“you; your”

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *na-ŋ (“you”).

"like this; such; if"

Derived from 如 (OC *nja, *njas) with distributive suffix *-k (Schuessler, 2007). Cognate with 諾 (OC *naːɡ, “to agree; to say yes”).

"that"

Cognate with 那 (nà, “that”), 爾 (OC *njelʔ, “that”) (Schuessler, 2007).

若

1. ^† to be obedient to; compliant
2. ^† to trim vegetables
3. ^† to choose
4. ^† you; your

   • 既使我與若辯矣，若勝我，我不若勝，若果是也？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     既使我与若辩矣，若胜我，我不若胜，若果是也？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Jì shǐ wǒ yǔ ruò biàn yǐ, ruò shèng wǒ, wǒ bù ruò shèng, ruò guǒ shì yě? [Pinyin]

     If you and I debate, you defeat me and I cannot defeat you, are you really correct?

   • 吾翁即若翁。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

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

     Wú wēng jí ruò wēng. [Pinyin]

     My father is just the same as your father.

5. ^† he; his
6. like; as if

   旁若無人／旁若无人  ―  pángruòwúrén  ―  as if no one is nearby

   • 讀若闌。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     读若阑。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Shuowen Jiezi, circa 2^nd century CE

     Dú ruò lán. [Pinyin]

     Read as "闌／阑 (lán)".

7. if; supposing; assuming

   天若有情天亦老。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Tiān ruò yǒu qíng tiān yì lǎo. [Pinyin]

   If Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would grow old.

   • 若她終於見隻紙船　盤旋夢裡千百轉 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     若她终于见只纸船　盘旋梦里千百转 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 許冠傑, 紙船

     joek⁶ taa¹ zung¹ jyu¹ gin³ zek³ zi² syun⁴, pun⁴ syun⁴ mung⁶ leoi⁵ cin¹ baak³ zyun² [Jyutping]

     If she finally sees the paper boat / spiraling in dreams

8. in this way
9. (Chinese mythology) Ruo, mythological divine being of the northern seas

   • 於是焉河伯始旋其面目，望洋向若而歎。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     于是焉河伯始旋其面目，望洋向若而叹。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Yúshì yān Hé Bó shǐ xuán qí miànmù, wàng yáng xiàng Ruò ér tàn. [Pinyin]

     Then He Bo began to turn his face round, looked across the expanse, as if he were confronting Ruo, and sighed.

   • 使湘靈鼓瑟兮，令海若舞馮夷。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     使湘灵鼓瑟兮，令海若舞冯夷。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Shǐ Xiāng líng gǔ sè xī, lìng hǎi Ruò wǔ Féng Yí. [Pinyin]

     I invite the Genius of River Xiang to play the se, and the oceanic Ruo to dance with Feng Yi of the Yellow River.

10. Pollia japonica
11. a surname

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