考

Han character

考 (radical 125 老+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 十大卜尸 (JKYS), four-corner 4420₇, composition ⿱耂丂)

Glyph origin

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

Variant of 老 (OC *ruːʔ) – Ideogrammic compound (會意) : 耂 (“an old man with long hair, bent over”) + 匕 (“a cane”) – an old man, leaning on a cane. Compare top component to 孝 (OC *qʰruːs).

Structurally related to 老 (OC *ruːʔ); the most commonly cited example of 轉注 (“reciprocal meaning”).

Pronunciation

Definitions

考

1. ^† long-lived; elderly
2. ^† deceased father; posthumous name for male relations

   • 祭王父曰皇祖考，王母曰皇祖妣。父曰皇考，母曰皇妣。夫曰皇辟。生曰父、曰母、曰妻，死曰考、曰妣、曰嬪。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     祭王父曰皇祖考，王母曰皇祖妣。父曰皇考，母曰皇妣。夫曰皇辟。生曰父、曰母、曰妻，死曰考、曰妣、曰嫔。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, circa 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Jì wángfù yuē huángzǔkǎo, wángmǔ yuē huángzǔbǐ. Fù yuē huángkǎo, mǔ yuē huángbǐ. Fū yuē huángpì. Shēng yuē fù, yuē mǔ, yuē qī, sǐ yuē kǎo, yuē bǐ, yuē pín. [Pinyin]

     In sacrificing to them, a grandfather is called 'the sovereign grandfather'; a grandmother, 'the sovereign grandmother'; a father, 'the sovereign father'; a mother, 'the sovereign mother; a husband, 'the sovereign pattern.' While alive, the names of 'father', 'mother', and 'wife' are used; when they are dead, those of 'the completed one', 'the corresponding one', and 'the honored one'.

3. to examine; to check
4. to consider

   考慮 / 考虑  ―  kǎolǜ  ―  to consider

5. to study; to investigate
6. to test; to assess

   考考你的數學能力。 [MSC, trad.]
   考考你的数学能力。 [MSC, simp.]

   Kǎo kǎo nǐ de shùxué nénglì. [Pinyin]

   Testing your maths prowess.

7. to have a test; to have an exam

   考試 / 考试  ―  kǎoshì  ―  to have a test; exam

8. exam; test

Compounds

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. thought
2. consideration

Hanja

考 • (go) (hangeul 고, revised go, McCune–Reischauer ko, Yale ko)

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

Han character

考 (khảo)

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