左
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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Translingual
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Han character
左 (Kangxi radical 48, 工+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 大一 (KM), four-corner 40011, composition ⿸𠂇工)
Derived characters
Descendants
References
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 325, character 8
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 8720
- Dae Jaweon: page 626, character 7
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 411, character 5
- Unihan data for U+5DE6
Chinese
Glyph origin
| Historical forms of the character 左 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shang | Western Zhou | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) | |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Qin slip script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Old Chinese | |
|---|---|
| 左 | *ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls |
| 佐 | *ʔsaːls |
| 袏 | *ʔslaːls |
| 蹉 | *sʰlaːl |
| 瑳 | *sʰlaːl, *sʰlaːlʔ |
| 搓 | *sʰlaːl |
| 磋 | *sʰlaːl |
| 溠 | *sʰlaːl, *sraːl, *ʔsraːls |
| 傞 | *sʰlaːl, *slaːl |
| 醝 | *zlaːl |
| 瘥 | *zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *sʰreːls |
| 鹺 | *zlaːl |
| 嵯 | *zlaːl, *sʰral |
| 嵳 | *zlaːl |
| 蒫 | *zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *ʔslɯl |
| 艖 | *zlaːl, *sʰraːl |
| 齹 | *zlaːl, *sʰral, *zral |
| 縒 | *slaːlʔ, *sʰral, *sʰlaːɡ |
| 褨 | *slaːlʔ |
| 嗟 | *ʔsljal |
| 差 | *sʰraːl, *sʰraːls, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːls, *sʰral |
| 鎈 | *sʰraːl |
| 槎 | *zraːl, *zraːlʔ |
| 髊 | *zlals |
Originally written 𠂇 and 䶹 in the oracle bone script: Pictogram (象形) – a left hand. Compare 又 (“right hand”).
Late bronze inscription forms show an added 工 (“work; to assist?”) component, making the current form a phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls) and ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): phonetic 𠂇 (“left hand”) + semantic 工 (“work”), representing the original form of 佐 (OC *ʔsaːls, “to assist”).
Etymology
Cognate with 佐 (OC *ʔsaːls, “to assist”) (< be on one's left side); mirror of the semantic relationship between 右 (OC *ɢʷɯʔ, “right”) and 佑 (OC *ɢʷɯs, “to assist”) (Schuessler, 2007).
Unrelated to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *b(w)aj (“left (hand)”) (STEDT).
- “(politics) left-wing”
- Semantic loan from English left, in turn a semantic loan from French gauche.
Pronunciation 1
- Mandarin
- (Standard)
- (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): zo3
- (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): zuò
- (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): зуә (zuə, II)
- Cantonese (Jyutping): zo2
- Gan (Wiktionary): zo3
- Hakka
- Jin (Wiktionary): ze2
- Northern Min (KCR): cǒ̤
- Eastern Min (BUC): cō̤
- Southern Min
- Wu (Northern, Wugniu): 5tsu / 3tsou / 3tso
- Xiang
- (Changsha, Wiktionary): zo3
- (Hengyang, Wiktionary): zo3
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: zuǒ
- Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: zuǒ
- Wade–Giles: tso3
- Yale: dzwǒ
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuoo
- Palladius: цзо (czo)
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴/
- (Chengdu)
- Sichuanese Pinyin: zo3
- Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zo
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so⁵³/
- (Xi'an)
- Guanzhong Pinyin: zuò
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡suo⁵³/
- (Dungan)
- Cyrillic and Wiktionary: зуә (zuə, II)
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡suə⁵¹/
- (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
- Jyutping: zo2
- Yale: jó
- Cantonese Pinyin: dzo2
- Guangdong Romanization: zo2
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡sɔː³⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
- Gan
- (Nanchang)
- Wiktionary: zo3
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so²¹³/
- (Nanchang)
- Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chó
- Hakka Romanization System: zoˋ
- Hagfa Pinyim: zo3
- Sinological IPA: /t͡so³¹/
- (Meixian)
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Jin
- (Taiyuan)+
- Wiktionary: ze2
- Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡sɤ⁵³/
- (Taiyuan)+
- Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
- Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cǒ̤
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡sɔ²¹/
- (Jian'ou)
- Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
- Bàng-uâ-cê: cō̤
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so³³/
- (Fuzhou)
- Southern Min
Note:
- Quanzhou:
- chó - vernacular;
- chó͘ - literary.
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: zo2
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsó
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so⁵²/
- (Teochew)
- Wu
- Xiang
- (Changsha)
- Wiktionary: zo3
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so⁴¹/
- (Hengyang)
- Wiktionary: zo3
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡so³³/
- (Changsha)
- Dialectal data
- Middle Chinese: tsaX
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*tsˤa[j]ʔ/
- (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːlʔ/
Definitions
左
- left (direction)
- 左手 ― zuǒshǒu ― left hand
- east; areas to the east
- (nautical) port
- (historical) inferior position
- unorthodox; wrong
- erroneously; mistakingly
- different; divided; inconsistent
- 相左 ― xiàngzuǒ ― to conflict with each other; to fail to agree
- (politics) left-wing
- (chemistry) levo-
- 左多巴 ― zuǒduōbā ― levodopa
- (Sichuanese, of singing) out of tune; off-key
- (Southwestern Mandarin, including Sichuanese) to exchange
- (Eastern Min) devious, dishonest
- (Xiang) wrong; incorrect
- a surname
- 左宗棠 ― Zuǒ Zōngtáng ― Zuo Zongtang (Qing dynasty Chinese statesman and military leader)
Usage notes
In socialist nations e.g. mainland China, 左 is usually (not necessarily) put in quotation marks when referring to the leftism further to the correct party line.
Synonyms
Antonyms
- 右 (yòu, “right”)
Pronunciation 2
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin: zuǒ
- Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: zuǒ
- Wade–Giles: tso3
- Yale: dzwǒ
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuoo
- Palladius: цзо (czo)
- Sinological IPA (key): /t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Middle Chinese: tsaX, tsaH
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*tsˤa[j]ʔ/, /*tsˤarʔ-s/
- (Zhengzhang): /*ʔsaːlʔ/, /*ʔsaːls/
Definitions
左
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Original form of 佐 (zuǒ, “to assist”).
Compounds
- 不左不右
- 反左書 / 反左书
- 可操左券
- 如左右手
- 如持左券
- 左不過 / 左不过
- 左丘 (Zuǒqiū)
- 左丞
- 左乙
- 左使
- 左來右去 / 左来右去
- 左側 / 左侧 (zuǒcè)
- 左傾 / 左倾 (zuǒqīng)
- 左傳 / 左传 (Zuǒzhuàn)
- 左列
- 左券 (zuǒquàn)
- 左券在握
- 左……右……
- 左史
- 左右 (zuǒyòu)
- 左右兩難 / 左右两难
- 左右前後 / 左右前后
- 左右夾攻 / 左右夹攻
- 左右手 (zuǒyòushǒu)
- 左右支絀 / 左右支绌
- 左右為難 / 左右为难 (zuǒyòuwéinán)
- 左右翼
- 左右袒
- 左右逢源 (zuǒyòuféngyuán)
- 左右開弓 / 左右开弓
- 左嗓子
- 左圖右史 / 左图右史 (zuǒtúyòushǐ)
- 左契
- 左學 / 左学 (zuǒxué)
- 左宜右有
- 左嵐 / 左岚 (Zuǒlán)
- 左師 / 左师 (zuǒshī)
- 左徒
- 左心室 (zuǒxīnshì)
- 左性
- 左思右想 (zuǒsīyòuxiǎng)
- 左手 (zuǒshǒu)
- 左挈右提
- 左拾遺 / 左拾遗
- 左提右挈
- 左撇子 (zuǒpiězi)
- 左擁右抱 / 左拥右抱 (zuǒyōngyòubào)
- 左支右吾
- 左支右絀 / 左支右绌 (zuǒzhīyòuchù)
- 左方
- 左書 / 左书
- 左榜右臂
- 左權 / 左权 (Zuǒquán)
- 左氏春秋
- 左江 (Zuǒjiāng)
- 左派 (zuǒpài)
- 左海 (zuǒhǎi)
- 左湊 / 左凑
- 左溪寺 (Zuǒxīsì)
- 左營 / 左营 (Zuǒyíng)
- 左猜
- 左獄 / 左狱
- 左皮氣 / 左皮气
- 左縈右拂 / 左萦右拂
- 左纛
- 左翼 (zuǒyì)
- 左舷 (zuǒxián)
- 左行
- 左衝右突 / 左冲右突 (zuǒchōngyòutū)
- 左衽 (zuǒrèn)
- 左袒 (zuǒtǎn)
- 左計 / 左计
- 左證 / 左证 (zuǒzhèng)
- 左賢王 / 左贤王
- 左輔右弼 / 左辅右弼
- 左輪 / 左轮 (zuǒlún)
- 左轉 / 左转 (zuǒzhuǎn)
- 左近 (zuǒjìn)
- 左道 (zuǒdào)
- 左道旁門 / 左道旁门
- 左遮右攩 / 左遮右挡
- 左遷 / 左迁 (zuǒqiān)
- 左邊 / 左边 (zuǒbiān)
- 左鄰右舍 / 左邻右舍 (zuǒlínyòushè)
- 左鎮 / 左镇 (Zuǒzhèn, “Zuojhen”)
- 左鎮人 / 左镇人
- 左降
- 左面 (zuǒmiàn)
- 左顧 / 左顾
- 左顧右盼 / 左顾右盼 (zuǒgùyòupàn)
- 左首 (zuǒshǒu)
- 弄左性
- 所謀輒左 / 所谋辄左
- 披髮左衽 / 披发左衽 (pīfàzuǒrèn)
- 持左券
- 操左券
- 旁門左道 / 旁门左道 (pángménzuǒdào)
- 江左 (Jiāngzuǒ)
- 江左夷吾
- 淮左
- 牛心左性
- 男左女右 (nánzuǒnǚyòu)
- 相左 (xiāngzuǒ)
- 穩操左券 / 稳操左券
- 羊左之誼 / 羊左之谊
- 虛左 / 虚左
- 虛左以待 / 虚左以待
- 被髮左衽 / 被发左衽 (pīfàzuǒrèn)
- 證左 / 证左
- 道左 (dàozuǒ)
- 鄰左 / 邻左
- 閭左 / 闾左
- 驗左 / 验左
Descendants
Others:
References
- “左”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database), 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
- Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01151
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