弱冠

Chinese

		weak; feeble; young weak; feeble; young; inferior	to head; hat; crown to head; hat; crown; crest; cap
simp. and trad. (弱冠)		弱	冠

Etymology

From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》):

人生十年曰幼，學。二十曰弱，冠。三十曰壯，有室。……百年曰期，頤。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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人生十年曰幼，学。二十曰弱，冠。三十曰壮，有室。……百年曰期，颐。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Rén shēng shí nián yuē yòu, xué. Èrshí yuē ruò, guàn. Sānshí yuē zhuàng, yǒu shì....... Bǎinián yuē qī, yí. [Pinyin]

When one is ten years old, we call him a boy; he goes (out) to school. When he is twenty, we call him a youth; he is capped. When he is thirty, we say, 'He is at his maturity;' he has a wife. […] At a hundred, he is called a centenarian, and has to be fed.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): ruòguàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄢˋ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: ruòguàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄨㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ruòguàn
    • Wade–Giles: jo⁴-kuan⁴
    • Yale: rwò-gwàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ruohguann
    • Palladius: жогуань (žoguanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ku̯än⁵¹/

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• Middle Chinese: nyak kwanH

Rime
Character	弱	冠
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	日 (38)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	藥 (107)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	而灼切	古玩切
Baxter	nyak	kwanH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ȵɨɐk̚/	/kuɑnH/
Pan Wuyun	/ȵiɐk̚/	/kʷɑnH/
Shao Rongfen	/ȵʑiɑk̚/	/kuɑnH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ȵɨak̚/	/kwanH/
Li Rong	/ȵiak̚/	/kuɑnH/
Wang Li	/ȵʑĭak̚/	/kuɑnH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȵʑi̯ak̚/	/kuɑnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	ruò	guàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	joek6	gun3

Noun

弱冠

1. (literary) the approach of adulthood (20 years of age)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
弱	冠
じゃく > じゃっ Grade: 2	かん Grade: S
kan'on	on'yomi

Alternative spelling
若冠 (proscribed)

Etymology

From Literary Chinese. From 禮記/曲禮上.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じゃっかん [jàkkáń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑa̠k̚kã̠ɴ]

Noun

弱(じゃっ)冠(かん) • (jakkan) ^{←じやくくわん (zyakukwan)?}

1. 20 years of age
2. youth

Korean

Hanja in this term
弱	冠

Noun

弱冠 • (yakgwan) (hangeul 약관)

1. hanja form^? of 약관 (“20 years of age”)