片

Stroke order

See images of
Radical 91 片

片 (Kangxi radical 91, 片+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 中中一中 (LLML) or 中中一弓 (LLMN), four-corner 2202₇, composition ⿰丿⿱丄𠃍)

1. Kangxi radical #91, ⽚.

• Appendix:Chinese radical/片
• 𰁨, 𠯯, 𫭡, 𭖎, 扸, 沜, 𭤬, 㭊, 𤕰, 䏒, 𤰽, 𭽌, 𥞄, 𥩜, 𥸺, 𧈼, 𧦓, 𨐏, 𣶁, 𬫄, 𩢝, 𧌨, 魸
• 𠛁, 𢦤, 𣂔, 㲏, 覑, 𧣉, 𬷃, 𪚖, 𡵫, 𩂌, 𨳭

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 692, character 36
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19813
• Dae Jaweon: page 1105, character 25
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2014, character 1
• Unihan data for U+7247

Historical forms of the character 片
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Mirror image of 爿 (OC *braːn, “piece”), which is the pictogram of a bed.

Shuowen: half of 木 (“wood; tree”) to denote “to pare; to slice”; but this interpretation is not based on oracle bones and bronzes.

片

1. thin piece; flake; slice

   片子  ―  piànzi  ―  flake, small piece

2. film; TV play; photograph; record

   影片  ―  yǐngpiàn  ―  film, movie

   片子  ―  piānzi  ―  film, movie, film reel

   1. (specifically) film (form of mass media); movie (Classifier: 部 m; 套 c)

      賀歲片／贺岁片 [Cantonese]  ―  ho⁶ seoi³ pin^3-2 [Jyutping]  ―  Chinese New Year film

      動作片／动作片  ―  dòngzuò piān  ―  action movie

      片商 [Cantonese]  ―  pin^3-2 soeng¹ [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   2. (by extension, Cantonese) video (Classifier: 條／条 c)

      去片 [Cantonese]  ―  heoi³ pin^3-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to play a video

3. (medicine) tablet
4. (dialectal) diaper; nappy (Classifier: 條／条 c)

   幫BB換片／帮BB换片 [Cantonese]  ―  bong¹ bi⁴ bi¹ wun⁶ pin^3-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to change diapers for the baby

   纜片／缆片 [Cantonese]  ―  laam⁶ pin^3-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to wear a diaper

5. part of a place; area
6. (linguistics) subgroup; subdivision of a language

   廣府片／广府片 [Cantonese]  ―  gwong² fu² pin³ [Jyutping]  ―  Guangfu subgroup (of Yue Chinese)

7. to slice; to carve thin
8. (Cantonese) to fight
9. (Cantonese) to throw something along its thin side

   片石仔 [Cantonese]  ―  pin^3-2 sek⁶ zai² [Jyutping]  ―  stone skipping

10. (Cantonese, of a vehicle) to squeeze into a gap
11. (Cantonese) bribe

    收片 [Cantonese]  ―  sau¹ pin^3-2 [Jyutping]  ―  to collect bribes

12. partial; incomplete; one-sided

    片面  ―  piànmiàn  ―  unilateral, one-sided

13. Classifier for flat objects such as leaves, pieces of paper, slices, etc.

    一片麵包／一片面包  ―  yī piàn miànbāo  ―  a slice of bread

14. Classifier for small nonspherical medicinal objects such as pills, tablets.
15. Classifier for tracts of land and areas of water.

    • 望著海一片　滿懷倦　無淚也無言 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
      望着海一片　满怀倦　无泪也无言 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

      From: 1984, 梅艷芳, 似水流年 (sìshuǐliúnián)

      mong⁶ zoek⁶ hoi² jat¹ pin³, mun⁵ waai⁴ gyun⁶, mou⁴ leoi⁶ jaa⁵ mou⁴ jin⁴ [Jyutping]

      Gazing at the sea, tired, without tears or words

16. Classifier for CDs, movies and DVDs.
17. (used with numeral 一) Classifier for scenarios, scenes, feelings, atmospheres, sounds, clouds.

    • 為何我心一片空虛 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
      为何我心一片空虚 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

      From: 1983, 陳百強, 偏偏喜歡你

      wai⁶ ho⁴ ngo⁵ sam¹ jat¹ pin³ hung¹ heoi¹ [Jyutping]

      Why is my heart a tract of emptiness?

18. (Teochew) Classifier for doors and windows.
19. (Hakka, Teochew) side

    東片／东片 [Teochew]  ―  dang¹ pin³ [Peng'im]  ―  east; east side

    許片／许片 [Teochew]  ―  he² pin³ [Peng'im]  ―  there; that side

• (disc): 碟 (dié), 碟片 (diépiàn)

• → Proto-Southwestern Tai: *pʰɛːnᴮ¹
  • Ahom: 𑜇𑜢𑜐𑜫 (phiñ)
  • Lao: ແຜ່ນ (phǣn)
  • Northern Thai: ᨹᩯ᩠᩵ᨶ
  • Shan: ၽႅၼ်ႇ (phèn)
  • Tai Dam: ꪵꪠ꪿ꪙ
  • Tai Nüa: ᥚᥦᥢᥱ (phǎen)
  • Thai: แผ่น (pɛ̀n)

• “片”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[3], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #1225”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. (かた): one of a pair, one-sided^[1]
2. (ひら, きれ): slice
3. slight, a little
4. (ペンス): pound sterling

• Go-on: へん (hen, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: へん (hen, Jōyō)
• Kun: かた (kata, 片, Jōyō)、ひら (hira, 片)、きれ (kire, 片)、ペンス (pensu, 片)

• 刀(かたな) (katana)
• 片(かた)仮(か)名(な) (katakana)
• 片(かた)道(みち) (katamichi)
• 片(かた)思(おも)い (kataomoi)

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *kata-. First cited in the Nihon Shoki of 720.^[2]

Alexander Vovin asserts it's a loanword from Old Korean; compare Old Korean 一等 (*HAton, “one”).^[3] However, Vovin's source for the Koreanic term is a document that is over 500 years newer than the first Japonic mention; it would have to be an even earlier borrowing into Japanese.

Japanese sources describe this as cognate with 方(かた) (kata, “side, direction”).^[4] However, the pitch accents differ: compounds starting with 片 show <LL-> accent in the Heian period, in contrast to 方, which is recorded with a <HL> accent instead, suggesting no direct relationship between the two.

Alternatively, 肩(かた) (kata, “shoulder”) might be a more likely cognate given that term's matching <LH> accent and compounds also indicating homonymy: compare 傾(かた)げる (katageru, “to tilt, to incline”), 担(かた)げる (katageru, “to carry on one’s shoulder”). Also, accent comparison might support that this word derives from the verb root 勝(か)つ (katsu, “to win; to tend to”) or 搗(か)つ (katsu, “to pound”) (both have an <L-> accent), and adverb 且(か)つ (katsu, “besides; moreover; also; and”) which has an <LF> accent.

• IPA^(key): [ka̠ta̠]

片(かた) • (kata-) 

1. [from 720] (prefixed to a noun) one side or part of a pair or larger set

   片(かた)手(て)、片(かた)身(み)

   katate, katami

   one hand, one half of the body

2. [from 720] (prefixed to a noun or verb) one-sided

   片(かた)思(おも)い、傾(かたむ)ける

   kataomoi, katamukeru

   one-sided thoughts / unrequited affection (as between two people), to lean to one side

3. [from 720] (prefixed to a noun or verb) incomplete, partial, small

   片(かた)山(やま)、片(かた)時(とき)、片(かた)笑(え)む

   katayama, katatoki, kataemu

   a small mountain, a short time, to smile slightly

4. [from 720] (prefixed to a noun) leaning or trending that way (emphasizing the quality of the prefixed noun)

   片(かた)田舎(いなか)

   katainaka

   the remote countryside

5. [from 720] (prefixed to a verb, archaic) frequently, intently, earnestly

   片(かた)設(ま)く

   katamaku

   to focus intently on doing one thing

片 (eumhun 조각 편 (jogak pyeon))

片: Hán Nôm readings: phiến, phiện

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