秘

See also: 祕

秘 U+79D8, 秘 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-79D8 ← 秗 [U+79D7] CJK Unified Ideographs 秙 → [U+79D9]

Text style	Emoji style
㊙︎	㊙️
Text style is forced with ⟨︎⟩ and emoji style with ⟨️⟩.
㊙ U+3299, ㊙ CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH SECRET ← ㊘ [U+3298] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㊚ → [U+329A]

Translingual

Han character

秘 (Kangxi radical 115, 禾+5, 10 strokes, cangjie input 竹木心竹 (HDPH), four-corner 2390₀, composition ⿰禾必)

Derived characters

• 𱓷, 𦷬, 𥡁, 𢢃

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 851, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24977
• Dae Jaweon: page 1275, character 12
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2601, character 7
• Unihan data for U+79D8

Chinese

trad.		秘/祕
simp.		秘/祕
祕 - only used as a surname or in a given name in Simplified Chinese

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (必) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
泌	*mpriɡs, *priɡ, *bliɡ
秘	*mpriɡs
毖	*priɡs
閟	*priɡs
柲	*priɡs, *bliːɡ, *priɡ, *bliɡ
鉍	*priɡs, *priɡ
邲	*priɡs, *bliɡ, *briɡ
覕	*pliŋs, *mbliːɡ
咇	*bliːɡ, *priɡ, *bliɡ
苾	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
馝	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
飶	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
鴓	*mbliːɡ
鮅	*pliɡ, *bliɡ
必	*pliɡ
珌	*pliɡ
佖	*bliɡ, *briɡ
駜	*bliɡ, *briɡ
怭	*bliɡ
妼	*bliɡ
宓	*mriɡ, *mliɡ
樒	*mriɡ
密	*mriɡ
蔤	*mriɡ
滵	*mriɡ
蜜	*mliɡ
謐	*mliɡ
榓	*mliɡ
淧	*mliɡ
瑟	*smriɡ, *smriɡ
璱	*sriɡ
飋	*sriɡ
虙	*blɯɡ

In current form: Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mpriɡs) : semantic 禾 + phonetic 必 (OC *pliɡ).

Variant (俗字) of 祕 via 示 → 禾.

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Read mì instead of bì in Mandarin as a result of conflation with 密 (mì) (c.f. 秘密 (mìmì)) (Fu, 1958).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): mì, bì (mi⁴, bi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧˋ, ㄅㄧˋ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): би (bi, III)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bei³ / bai³

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): bi¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): bi⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): pi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): bi⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): bé
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): pì

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bi³

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵pi; ⁵mi
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): bei⁴ / mi⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mì
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mì
    • Wade–Giles: mi⁴
    • Yale: mì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mih
    • Palladius: ми (mi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi⁵¹/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bì
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bì
    • Wade–Giles: pi⁴
    • Yale: bì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bih
    • Palladius: би (bi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹/

Note: bì - rare except in 秘魯 (“Peru”) and as a surname.

• • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: би (bi, III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: bei³ / bai³
    • Yale: bei / bai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bei³ / bai³
    • Guangdong Romanization: béi³ / bei³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei̯³³/, /pɐi̯³³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: bi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pi
    • Hakka Romanization System: bi
    • Hagfa Pinyim: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: bé
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɛi²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pì
    • Tâi-lô: pì
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pix
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pi²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pi⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pi¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pi²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bi³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pì
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵pi; ⁵mi
    • MiniDict: pi^去; 'mi^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²pi; ²'mi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pi³⁴/, /mi³⁴/

Note:

• 2pi - vernacular;
• 2'mi - literary.

• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: bei⁴ / mi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pe̞i̯⁴⁵/, /mi²⁴/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 秘 (秘書)
Mandarin	Beijing	/mi⁵¹/
	Harbin	/mi⁵³/
	Tianjin	/mi⁵³/
	Jinan	/mi²¹/
	Qingdao	/mi⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/mi²⁴/
	Xi'an	/mi²¹/
	Xining	/mji⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/mi¹³/
	Lanzhou	/mi¹³/
	Ürümqi	/mi²¹³/
	Wuhan	/mi²¹³/
	Chengdu	/pei¹³/ /mi³¹/
	Guiyang	/mi²¹/
	Kunming	/mi³¹/
	Nanjing	/pi⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/pz̩⁵³/ /mz̩⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/miəʔ²/
	Pingyao	/pi³⁵/
	Hohhot	/miəʔ⁴³/
Wu	Shanghai	/pi³⁵/
	Suzhou	/pi⁵¹³/
	Hangzhou	/pi⁴⁴⁵/
	Wenzhou	/mi²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/pi³²⁴/
	Tunxi	/mi⁴²/
Xiang	Changsha	/mi²⁴/ /pei⁵⁵/
	Xiangtan	/pi⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/pi⁴⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/pi⁵³/
	Taoyuan	/pi⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/pei³³/
	Nanning	/pi³³/
	Hong Kong	/pei³³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/pi²¹/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/pɛi²¹²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/mi²⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/pi²¹³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/mit̚⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: pijH

Rime
Character	秘
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	脂 (17)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	兵媚切
Baxter	pijH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pˠiɪH/
Pan Wuyun	/pᵚiH/
Shao Rongfen	/piɪH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/pjiH/
Li Rong	/pjiH/
Wang Li	/piH/
Bernard Karlgren	/piH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bei3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*mpriɡs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	秘
Reading #	1/1
No.	553
Phonetic component	必
Rime group	至
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	祕
Old Chinese	/*mpriɡs/
Notes	祕注俗字

Definitions

秘

1. secret; undisclosed; confidential
2. mysterious; abstruse
3. rare; scarce; extraordinary
4. to keep as a secret
5. to block
6. Short for 秘書／秘书 (mìshū, “secretary”).
7. Short for 秘魯／秘鲁 (Bìlǔ, “Peru”).
8. a surname

Compounds

• 便秘
• 傳神秘要／传神秘要
• 汪秘 (Wāngmì)
• 秘不發喪／秘不发丧 (mìbùfāsāng)
• 秘事
• 秘史 (mìshǐ)
• 秘密 (mìmì)
• 秘寶／秘宝
• 秘方 (mìfāng)
• 秘書／秘书 (mìshū)
• 秘本 (mìběn)
• 秘籍 (mìjí)
• 秘而不宣 (mì'érbùxuān)
• 秘聞／秘闻 (mìwén)
• 秘色 (mìsè)
• 秘色瓷
• 秘藏
• 秘計／秘计 (mìjì)
• 秘訣／秘诀 (mìjué)
• 秘話／秘话
• 秘魯／秘鲁

 

Japanese

Shinjitai	秘
Kyūjitai	祕

Kanji

秘

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 祕)

1. secret; confidential

Readings

• Go-on: ひ (hi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: ひ (hi, Jōyō)
• Kun: ひめる (himeru, 秘める, Jōyō)、かくす (kakusu, 秘す)、ひそか (hisoka, 秘か)
• Nanori: なし (nashi)、なみ (nami)、み (mi)、やす (yasu)

Compounds

• 秘(ひ)術(じゅつ) (hijutsu): numerology, or a secret art
• 秘(ひ)術(じゅつ)師(し) (hijutsushi): a practitioner of a secret art
• 秘(ひ)書(しょ) (hisho): secretary
• 秘(ひ)密(みつ) (himitsu): secret
• 秘(ひ)儀(ぎ) (higi)
• 秘(ひ)境(きょう) (hikyō)
• 秘(ひ)訣(けつ) (hiketsu)
• 秘(ひ)法(ほう) (hihō)

Korean

Hanja

秘 • (bi) (hangeul 비, revised bi, McCune–Reischauer pi, Yale pi)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

秘: Hán Nôm readings: bí

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