世

世 (Kangxi radical 1, 一+4, 5 strokes, cangjie input 心廿 (PT), four-corner 4471₇, composition ⿻廿𠃊)

• 伳, 呭, 𪣅, 𡛶, 怈, 抴, 泄, 迣, 枻, 𬆑, 玴, 䄁, 朑, 𤤙, 𥅋, 𥹑, 紲(绁), 袣, 𦐕, 𮎉, 𮓽, 𬡽, 詍, 𧺿, 跇, 𣫸, 鉪, 靾, 齛
• 𢺿, 㰥, 𦐞, 屉, 𢇸, 𦭓, 疶, 𬙚, 𫢫, 笹, 髰, 枼, 𭁫, 𬔛, 𠁀, 𭁯, 𧉺, 貰(贳), 𩊈, 屜

• せ (Hiragana character derived from man'yōgana)
• セ (Katakana character derived from man'yōgana)

• Kangxi Dictionary: 一部/四畫 on the Chinese Wikisource.

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 77, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 31
• Dae Jaweon: page 155, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 14, character 6
• Unihan data for U+4E16

• Pictogram (象形) – three leaves on a branch. The derivative 葉 (OC *hljeb, *leb) refers to the original word.
• Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): Triplication of 十 (“ten”) - thirty, such as a variant form 丗. Thirty years make one generation (thirty times twelve months gives 360 months). Compare 廿 (OC *njɯb, “twenty”).

世 (OC *hljebs) is derived from iterative devoicing of 葉 (OC *leb, “leaf”) + *-s suffix, meaning successive foliages of a tree > generations. Compare Tibetan ལོ་མ (lo ma, “leaf”), Western Tibetan ལོབ་མ (lob ma, “leaf”) and Tibetan ལོ (lo, “year”).

世

1. generation

   世代  ―  shìdài  ―  generation

   德皇威廉二世  ―  déhuáng Wēilián èr shì  ―  Kaiser Wilhelm II

   • 子曰：「如有王者，必世而後仁。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     子曰：「如有王者，必世而后仁。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Zǐ yuē: “Rú yǒu wángzhě, bì shì ér hòu rén.” [Pinyin]

     The Master said, "If a truly royal ruler were to arise, it would still require a generation, and then virtue would prevail."

2. (literary, or in compounds) for many generations; spanning many generations

   世襲／世袭  ―  shìxí  ―  to inherit; to succeed

   世仇  ―  shìchóu  ―  hereditary enemy

   • 下武維周，世有哲王。三后在天，王配于京。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     下武维周，世有哲王。三后在天，王配于京。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Xià wǔ wéi Zhōu, shì yǒu zhé wáng. Sān hòu zài tiān, wáng pèi yú jīng. [Pinyin]

     Successors tread in the steps [of their predecessors] in our Zhou; for generations there had been wise kings. The three sovereigns were in heaven; and king [Wu] was their worthy successor in his capital.

3. (in terms of address) longstanding friendship between two families; generations of family friendship

   世伯  ―  shìbó  ―  uncle (friend of one's father)

4. lifetime; all one's life; one's whole life

   一生一世  ―  yīshēngyīshì  ―  all one's life

   下世 [Cantonese]  ―  haa⁶ sai³ [Jyutping]  ―  next life

5. era; period; time

   當今之世／当今之世  ―  dāngjīn zhī shì  ―  at present; nowadays

   • 鴻荒之世，聖人惡之，是以法始乎伏犠而成乎堯。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     鸿荒之世，圣人恶之，是以法始乎伏犠而成乎尧。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, Fa Yan (Exemplary Sayings), 9 CE

     Hónghuāng zhī shì, shèngrén wù zhī, shìyǐ fǎ shǐ hū Fúxī ér chéng hū Yáo. [Pinyin]

     The sages hated the primeval time. Thus, laws and institutions were established by Fuxi and were completed by Yao.

6. (geology) epoch (geochronologic unit)

   全新世  ―  quánxīnshì  ―  holocene

7. world; people in the world

   世界  ―  shìjiè  ―  world

   在世  ―  zàishì  ―  alive

   • 世稱東方生之盛也，言不純師，行不純表，其流風、遺書，蔑如也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     世称东方生之盛也，言不纯师，行不纯表，其流风、遗书，蔑如也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, Fa Yan (Exemplary Sayings), 9 CE

     Shì chēng Dōngfāng shēng zhī shèng yě, yán bù chún shī, xíng bù chún biǎo, qí liúfēng, yíshū, mièrú yě. [Pinyin]

     The world lauds the exuberance of Dongfang Shuo's life. But in speaking, he was not sincere enough to be a teacher, and in action, he was not sincere enough to be a role model. The remnants of his writings that are still floating around should be discarded.

   • 1863, “大旨言耶穌爲世之大光照臨萬國也”, in Charles Finney Preston, transl., 《耶穌言行撮要俗話》, Guangzhou: 雙門底福音堂, 約翰 [John] 1:10:

     佢也曾喺世嗻、世係佢所造、世就唔識佢 [Cantonese, trad.]
     佢也曾喺世嗻、世系佢所造、世就唔识佢 [Cantonese, simp.]

     keoi⁵ jaa⁵ cang⁴ hai² sai³ syu³, sai³ hai⁶ keoi⁵ so² zou⁶, sai³ zau⁶ m⁴ sik¹ keoi⁵ [Jyutping]

     He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

8. (literary, or in compounds) dynasty; regime

   • 問今是何世，乃不知有漢，無論魏晉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Peach Blossom Spring (桃花源記), by Tao Yuanming, 421 (Wiktionary translation)

     Wèn jīn shì hé shì, nǎi bùzhī yǒu Hàn, wúlùn Wèi Jìn. [Pinyin]

     They asked what the current ruling dynasty was. Surprisingly, they had not even heard of the Han, let alone the Wei and the Jin.

   • 爰自麗世之季，及至我朝之初，屢經島夷之陸梁，寺亦焚燬。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: Former inscription at Gunjasa Temple, Hamyang County, 1684

     원자여세지계^(로) 급지아조지초^(히) 누경도이지육량^(하야) 사역분훼^(라)
     Won ja Yeo se ji gye[-ro], geupji ajo ji cho[-hi], nu gyeong doi ji yungnyang[-haya], sa yeok bunhwe[-ra]. [Sino-Korean]

     From the end of the Goryeo dynasty to the early years of the present dynasty, [the area] suffered repeated incursions by the island savages, and the temple was also burnt and destroyed.

9. (literary, or in compounds) year; age
10. (literary, or in compounds) worldly; profane; secular

    人情世故  ―  rénqíngshìgù  ―  ways of the world

11. a surname

• (generation): 代 (dài)
• (for many generations):

• (lifetime):

• (era):

• (world):

• (dynasty):

• “世”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: せ (se, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: せい (sei, Jōyō)
• Kun: よ (yo, 世, Jōyō)
• Nanori: とし (toshi)、ゆ (yu)、ゆき (yuki)

⟨yo₂⟩ → /yo/

From Old Japanese. The pronunciation is distinct from 夜 (/⁠yo₁⁠/, “night, nighttime”).

Change in meaning of 節 (yo), in the sense of the bamboos and reeds bulging at certain intervals.^[1]

• (Tokyo) よ [yóꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• (Tokyo) よ [yò] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞]

世(よ) • (yo) 

1. world, society
2. this world, this life

   Synonym: 俗世間 (zoku seken)

3. (archaic) generation, age, era
4. lifetime

   Synonym: 一生 (isshō)

5. lifespan

   Synonym: 寿命 (jumyō)

6. time of year, season

   Synonyms: 時節 (jisetsu), 時期 (jiki), 折 (ori)

7. relationship between a man and a woman (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
8. period of a person leading as a patriarch (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

From Middle Chinese 世 (MC syejH). The kan'on reading, so likely a later borrowing.

世(せい) • (-sei) 

1. generation

   ルパン三(さん)世(せい)

   Rupan-sansei

   Lupin the Third

世(せい) • (-sei) 

1. (geology) epoch

世(せい) • (Sei) 

1. a female given name

From Middle Chinese 世 (MC syejH).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰe̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [세(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Wikisource

世 (eumhun 인간(人間) 세)

1. hanja form^? of 세 (“world”)
2. hanja form^? of 세 (“lineage; generation”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): し (shi)
• Kun: ゆー (yū, 世)

Cognate with mainland Japanese 世 (yo).

• IPA^(key): [juː]

世(ゆー) (yū) 

1. age, era, period, time; rule
2. world, society

• アメリカ世(ゆー) (amerika-yū): American era or rule over the Okinawan Islands
• 戦(いくさ)世(ゆー) (ikusayū): wartime, war era, war period
• 大和(やまとぅ)世(ゆー) (yamatu-yū): Japanese era or rule over the Okinawan Islands

• “ゆー【世】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

世: Hán Việt readings: thế
世: Nôm readings: thế, thá, thé, thể

世

1. chữ Hán form of thế (“(only in compounds) era, time, generation”)

• Nom Foundation