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圭: jade tablets

By March 18, 2014May 18th, 2014Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning
 

圭 guī

noun
: jade tablets or jade batons used in the old days as symbols of authority
: silicon

Kun Reading
none applicable

On Reading

けい kei

 Usage:

圭亞[亚]那 gui1ya4na4: Guyana
巴拉圭 ba1la1gui1: Paraguay

パラグアイ paraguai

烏[乌]拉圭 wu1la1gui1: Uruguay



Japanese expression
圭角のある | けいかくのある keika no aru: harsh-mannered; angular; rough



Chinese idiom / slang
奉為[为]圭臬 feng4 wei2 gui1 nie4
: to take as a guiding principle

 Etymology:

会意 Associative Compound.
Ceremonial jade tablet (tu3: soil; earth)
held by a person (tu3: soil; earth)

圭 gui1 = earth + earth. These jade symbols were tokens used in conferring fiefs (land)



semantic: 珪
形声 Pictophonetic.
王 (wang2: king. but 玉 yu4: jade radical) suggests the meaning while
圭 (gui1: jade pointed at the top) provides the sound.



 Examples:
none applicable

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary

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