源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

再

zài
again; once again; a second time; re-
  • HSK 1
  • TOCFL 1
  • radical 冂
  • 6 strokes

Etymology graph

  • inherited
  • borrowed
  • derived
  • parts
  • meaning component
  • sound component
  • related
React Flow
Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

點擊節點放大 · Click a node to zoom in

Origin

The character 再 [zài] is recorded in the Shuowen Jiezi as 一舉而二也. Its formation is described as 从冓省.

Oldest attested scripts for this character include oracle, bronze, chu, qin, seal, and regular scripts. It is considered cognate with 載 (OC *ʔslɯːʔ, “year”), 茲 (OC *ʔsɯ, “year”), 薦 (OC *ʔseːns, “repeatedly”), 洊 (OC *zlɯːns, “again; repeatedly”), and 荐 (OC *zlɯːns, “repeatedly”).

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

根據《說文解字》的解釋，「再」的意思是「一舉而二也」，其字形從「冓」省去。在字形演變上，最早的紀錄見於甲骨文、金文、楚文字、秦文字、小篆，隨後發展至楷書。

在語言學研究方面，根據 Schuessler (2007) 的研究，「再」與「載」（OC *ʔslɯːʔ，意為「年」）、「茲」（OC *ʔsɯ，意為「年」）、「薦」（OC *ʔseːns，意為「重複地」）、「洊」（OC *zlɯːns，意為「再次；重複地」）以及「荐」（OC *zlɯːns，意為「重複地」）皆為同源詞。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

Words built on it: 不再, 再次, 一再

Wiktionary etymology text

Cognate with 載 (OC *ʔslɯːʔ, “year”), 茲 (OC *ʔsɯ, “year”), 薦 (OC *ʔseːns, “repeatedly”), 洊 (OC *zlɯːns, “again; repeatedly”), 荐 (OC *zlɯːns, “repeatedly”) (Schuessler, 2007).

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Meanings

character
  1. again; once again; a second time; re-
  2. Used to indicate a continuing situation in conditional or suppositional clauses
  3. more; -er
  4. Used with 也 (yě) and followed by a negative expression; no matter how...still (not)
  5. then; only then
  6. in addition; on top of that

Shuowen Jiezi 說文解字

再：一舉而二也。从冓省。

Xu Shen, c. 100 CE — the first analytical dictionary of Chinese characters.

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 第二次、又一次。 例：再見、再版、一再
  2. 重複、繼續。 例：再不走就趕不上火車了。
  3. 更。表示行為程度的加深。 例：再好不過、再多一點
  4. 另、另外。 例：再則、再說

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

How 再 was written 字形演變

  1. 再 in Oracle bone script
    Oracle bone
    甲骨文
    Shang, c. 1250–1050 BCE
  2. 再 in Bronze script
    Bronze
    金文
    Shang–Zhou
  3. 再 in Chu slips & silk script
    Chu slips & silk
    楚系簡帛
    Warring States
  4. 再 in Qin slips script
    Qin slips
    秦系簡牘
    Qin
  5. 再 in Small seal script
    Small seal
    說文小篆
    Shuowen, c. 100 CE
  6. 再 in Regular script
    Regular
    楷書
    since c. 200 CE

Historical forms collected by the legacy etymfun dataset; most characters have several attested variants.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • Historical glyph forms (zdic.net 字形演变) — Rights unverified
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • 說文解字 Shuowen Jiezi (Xu Shen, c. 100 CE) — Public domain
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Wiktionary: 再