便

See also: 使
便 U+4FBF, 便
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4FBF
← 侾
[U+4FBE] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 俀 →
[U+4FC0]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

便 (radical 9 人+7, 9 strokes, cangjie input 人一中大 (OMLK), four-corner 21246, composition ⿰亻更)

References

  • KangXi: page 103, character 32
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 659
  • Dae Jaweon: page 219, character 10
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 157, character 3
  • Unihan data for U+4FBF

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 便

Glyph origin

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

b12352

Small seal script

s05800

Transcribed ancient scripts

L32033

L32034

L32035

L32036

L32037

L32038

L32039

L32040

L32041

L07218

L07219

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Characters in the same phonetic series (便) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
鞭 *pen
鯾 *pen
箯 *pen, *ben
便 *ben, *bens
緶 *ben, *peːnʔ
楩 *ben, *benʔ

According to Shuowen, an ideogrammic compound (會意) : 亻 (“person”) + 更 (“to change”) – to change one's posture to make oneself comfortable.

Alternatively, this may be the original character for 鞭 (OC *pen, “to whip”), from 人 (“person”) + 𠓥 (“whip”), as seen in the bronze script.

Pronunciation 1

Rime
Character 便
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 並 (3)
Final (韻) 仙 (77)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 婢面切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /biᴇnH/
Pan
Wuyun		 /biɛnH/
Shao
Rongfen		 /bjænH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /bianH/
Li
Rong		 /biɛnH/
Wang
Li		 /bĭɛnH/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /bʱi̯ɛnH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 biàn
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 便
Reading # 1/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 biàn
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ bjienH ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[b]e[n]-s/
English comfortable; advantageous

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 便
Reading # 2/2
No. 778
Phonetic
component		 便
Rime
group		 元
Rime
subdivision		 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 便
Old
Chinese		 /*bens/

Definitions

便

  1. convenient; handy
    • 方便  ―  fāngbiàn  ―  convenient, suitable
    • 便利  ―  biànlì  ―  convenient, easy
    • 簡便 / 简便  ―  jiǎnbiàn  ―  convenient, handy
  2. to go a long way in; to serve the interests of; to benefit; to make convenient
  3. nimble; agile
  4. informal; ordinary; plain
    • 便衣  ―  biànyī  ―  civilian clothes
    • 便服  ―  biànfú  ―  informal clothes, everyday clothes
    • 便函  ―  biànhán  ―  informal letter
  5. human waste; excretion
    • 小便  ―  xiǎobiàn  ―  to urinate
    • 大便  ―  dàbiàn  ―  to defecate
    • 便器  ―  biànqì  ―  toilet
    • 糞便 / 粪便  ―  fènbiàn  ―  excrement, feces
  6. soon afterward; as soon as
  7. then
    他一得空便跑出去玩。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Tā yī dékòng biàn pǎochūqù wán. [Pinyin]
    As soon as gets free, he (then) runs out to play.
  8. even if; even though

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Note: vernacular.
Rime
Character 便
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 並 (3)
Final (韻) 仙 (77)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 房連切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /biᴇn/
Pan
Wuyun		 /biɛn/
Shao
Rongfen		 /bjæn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /bian/
Li
Rong		 /biɛn/
Wang
Li		 /bĭɛn/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /bʱi̯ɛn/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 pián
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 便
Reading # 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 pián
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ bjien ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[b]e[n]/
English glib-tongued

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 便
Reading # 1/2
No. 773
Phonetic
component		 便
Rime
group		 元
Rime
subdivision		 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 便
Old
Chinese		 /*ben/
Notes 金文象執鞭抽人背，右爲鞭初文，非更字

Definitions

便

  1. † quiet and comfortable
  2. † slim and graceful
  3. † nimble
  4. † eloquent
  5. cheap; inexpensive
    便宜  ―  piányi  ―  cheap

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

便

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Adjectival noun

便 (-na inflection, hiragana べん, rōmaji ben)

  1. convenient
Inflection

Noun

便 (hiragana べん, rōmaji ben)

  1. a convenience
  2. facilities
  3. bowel movement
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Noun

便 (hiragana びん, rōmaji bin)

  1. a flight
  2. mail
  3. (bus) service

See also

Etymology 3

Noun

便 (hiragana よすが, rōmaji yosuga)

  1. way, means
  2. reminder
Synonyms

Korean

Hanja

便 • (pyeon, byeon) (hangeul 편, 변)

  1. convenience, ease, comfortability
  2. stool

Words

  • 편안 (pyeonan)(便安)
  • 불편 (bulpyeon)(不便)
  • 변소 (byeonso)(便所)
  • 편리 (pyeolli)(便利)
  • 형편 (hyeongpyeon)(形便)

Vietnamese

Han character

便 (tiện, biền)

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

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