元

元 U+5143, 元 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5143 ← 兂 [U+5142] CJK Unified Ideographs 兄 → [U+5144]

Stroke order

元 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一一山 (MMU), four-corner 1021₁, composition ⿱一兀 or ⿱二儿)

• 远, 㝴, 㒬, 兘, 㒮, 刓, 邧, 㪴, 頑(顽), 䲮, 坖, 䲶, 黿, 鼋
• 完, 芫, 笎, 䨌, 髨, 䦎(𰿨), 园, 衏, 冠, 㓂, 冦, 宼, 寇, 窛
• 㐾, 坃, 妧, 岏, 忨, 抏, 沅, 阮, 朊, 杬, 玩, 䏓, 盶, 蚖, 䛃, 貦(𰷡), 䡇(𰹷), 酛, 鈨, 䬧(𫗟), 䯈, 魭(𱇐), 翫

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 123, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1340
• Dae Jaweon: page 258, character 3
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 264, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5143

• 元 on Wikidata.Wikidata

simp. and trad.		元

Pictogram (象形) – a figure with two lines 二 for a head (one connected to body, one above it), emphasizing the head.

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m/s-gaw (“head”), with a noun-forming suffix *-n (Schuessler, 2003; STEDT). If so, cognate with 后 (OC *ɡoːʔ, “ruler; lord; queen”), Tibetan མགོ (mgo, “head; summit; beginning”), མགོན (mgon, “protector; master; lord”), Garo sko (“skull”), Northern Tujia kho⁵⁵ pa⁵⁵ (“head”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). 原 (OC *ŋʷan, “source; origin; basic; primary”) and 黿 (OC *ŋoːn, *ŋon, “large turtle”) may be the same word (Schuessler, 2007). It may also be related to 君 (OC *klun, “lord; prince; ruler”), 尹 (OC *ɢʷlinʔ, “magistrate; governor”), 侯 (OC *ɡoː, “marquis”) (Mei, 1985).

The name of the dynasty comes from the I Ching:

大哉乾元，萬物資始，乃統天。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

大哉干元，万物资始，乃统天。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: I Ching, 11^th – 8^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Dà zāi qián yuán, wànwù zī shǐ, nǎi tǒng tiān. [Pinyin]

Vast is the ‘great and originating (power)’ indicated by Qian! All things owe to it their beginning: - it contains all the meaning belonging to (the name) heaven.

Part of the people with this surname are Xianbei descendants. It was changed from 拓跋 (Tuòbá) as ordered by Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei.

元

1. first; initial; primary; beginning

   元年  ―  yuánnián  ―  first year of an imperial reign

2. chief; principal; leading

   元惡／元恶  ―  yuán'è  ―  chief criminal

3. basic; fundamental

   元素  ―  yuánsù  ―  (chemical) element

4. (～朝) Yuan Dynasty

   元曲  ―  yuánqū  ―  Yuan dynasty theater

5. meta-

   元語言／元语言  ―  yuányǔyán  ―  metalanguage

6. unit; component; part

   單元／单元  ―  dānyuán  ―  unit

7. essential factor; (key) element

   多元  ―  duōyuán  ―  multielement

8. (mathematics) variable; argument; unknown; element

   消元法  ―  xiāoyuánfǎ  ―  method of elimination (literally, “method of eliminating matrix elements”)

   立天元一 [Classical Chinese]  ―  lì tiānyuán yī [Pinyin]  ―  Let x be the unknown variable in the equation.

   主元  ―  zhǔyuán  ―  pivot

   線元／线元  ―  xiànyuán  ―  line element

9. (alt. form 圓／圆) coin of fixed value and weight

   銀元／银元  ―  yínyuán  ―  silver dollar

10. (alt. form 圓／圆) Classifier for yuan or dollars.

    一元人民幣／一元人民币  ―  yī yuán rénmínbì  ―  one Chinese yuan

11. (alt. form 圓／圆) a surname

    元好問／元好问  ―  Yuán Hàowèn  ―  Yuan Haowen (Jin dynasty poet)

12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) head

    • 狄人歸元，三軍悽愴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      狄人归元，三军凄怆。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: c. 578, Yu Xin, The Lament for the South (《哀江南賦》)

      Dí rén guī yuán, sānjūn qīchuàng. [Pinyin]

      The barbaric enemy returned his severed head, and every soldier grieved in deep sorrow.

13. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) large; big
14. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) good; virtuous; kind
15. (Hong Kong) short for 元朗 (Yuánlǎng, “Yuen Long”)
16. (Taiwan, geology) eon (geochronologic unit)
17. (～日) (telegraphy) the thirteenth day of a month
18. (Taoism) kalpa; a cosmic or supreme cycle of 129,000 years

    一元12會，共十二萬九千年，周而復始，不斷循環，值致地球毀滅。 [MSC, trad.]
    一元12会，共十二万九千年，周而复始，不断循环，值致地球毁灭。 [MSC, simp.]

    Yī yuán 12 huì, gòng shí'èr wàn jiǔ qiān nián, zhōu'érfùshǐ, bù duàn xúnhuán, zhí zhì dìqiú huǐmiè. [Pinyin]

    Each kalpa has 12 epochs and lasts 129,000 years, repeating endlessly, each kalpa ending with the destruction of the world.

19. alternative form of 原 (yuán, “origin; source”)
20. alternative form of 玄 (xuán) (contained in the name of 玄燁)

• (the Yuan dynasty):

• (eon): (Mainland China) 宙 (zhòu)

Dynasties (朝代) in Chinese history
Name	Time period	Divisions
Xia 夏 (～朝, ～代)	2070 – 1600 BCE
Shang 商 (～朝, ～代) 殷 (～朝, ～代)	1600 – 1046 BCE
Zhou 周 (～朝, ～代)	1046 – 256 BCE	Western Zhou 西周
		Eastern Zhou 東周 / 东周	Spring and Autumn period 春秋
			Warring States period 戰國 / 战国
Qin 秦 (～朝, ～代)	221 – 206 BCE
Han 漢 / 汉 (～朝, ～代)	206 BCE – 220 C.E.	Western Han 西漢 / 西汉
		Xin 新 (～朝)
		Eastern Han 東漢 / 东汉
Three Kingdoms 三國 / 三国	220 – 280 C.E.	Wei 魏
		Shu Han 蜀漢 / 蜀汉
		Wu 吳 / 吴
Jin 晉 / 晋 (～朝, ～代)	265 – 420 C.E.	Western Jin 西晉 / 西晋
		Eastern Jin 東晉 / 东晋
Southern and Northern dynasties 南北朝	420 – 589 C.E.	Northern dynasties 北朝	Northern Wei 北魏
			Western Wei 西魏
			Eastern Wei 東魏 / 东魏
			Northern Zhou 北周
			Northern Qi 北齊 / 北齐
		Southern dynasties 南朝	Liu Song 劉宋 / 刘宋
			Southern Qi 南齊 / 南齐
			Liang 梁 (～朝, ～代)
			Chen 陳 / 陈 (～朝, ～代)
Sui 隋 (～朝, ～代)	581 – 618 C.E.
Tang 唐 (～朝, ～代)	618 – 907 C.E.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 五代十國 / 五代十国	907 – 960 C.E.
Liao 遼 / 辽 (～朝, ～代)	907 – 1125 C.E.
Song 宋 (～朝, ～代)	960 – 1279 C.E.	Northern Song 北宋
		Southern Song 南宋
Western Xia 西夏	1038 – 1227 C.E.
Jin 金 (～朝, ～代)	1115 – 1234 C.E.
Western Liao 西遼 / 西辽	1124 – 1218 C.E.
Yuan 元 (～朝, ～代)	1271 – 1368 C.E.
Ming 明 (～朝, ～代)	1368 – 1644 C.E.
Qing 清 (～朝, ～代)	1636 – 1912 C.E.

→ English: yuan

For pronunciation and definitions of 元 – see 圓 (“circle; sphere; circular; round; spherical; etc.”). (This character is the draft (1955) first-round simplified and second-round simplified form of 圓).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

• “元”, 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–

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: ごん (gon)
• Kan-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)^{←げん (gen, historical)←ぐゑん (gwen, ancient)}
• Tō-on: がん (gan, Jōyō)^{←ぐわん (gwan, historical)}
• Kun: もと (moto, 元, Jōyō)、こうべ (kōbe, 元)
• Nanori: はじめ (hajime)

Kanji in this term
元
もと Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
本 原 基 素

⟨mo₂to₂⟩ → /moto/

From Old Japanese. Cited to the Kojiki of 712 CE.^[1] From Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with Okinawan 元 (mutu).

• (Tokyo) もと [mòtóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2]
• (Tokyo) もと [mòtó] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [mo̞to̞]

元(もと) • (moto) 

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost

   元(もと)がとれる

   moto ga toreru

   to be able to cover the cost

4. (finance) capital

   2000円(にせんえん)の元(もと)を取(と)る

   nisen-en no moto o toru

   to get one's 2000 yen's worth

   (literally, “to take the 2000 yen principal”)

5. principal

元(もと) • (moto-) 

1. former, erstwhile

   元(もと)カレ、元(もと)カノ

   motokare, motokano

   former boyfriend, former girlfriend

   プロジェクトの元(もと)・担(たん)当(とう)者(しゃ)の田(た)中(なか)氏(し)

   purojekuto no moto tantōsha no Tanaka-shi

   former project manager Tanaka

Kanji in this term
元
げん Grade: 2
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 元 (MC ngjwon)

元(げん) • (Gen) 

1. the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)

元(げん) • (gen) 

1. yuan (currency)

   Synonym: ユアン

From 始(はじ)め (hajime, “beginning”).

• IPA^(key): [ha̠ʑime̞]

元(はじめ) • (Hajime) 

1. a male given name

元 (eumhun 으뜸 원 (eutteum won))

1. Hanja form^? of 원 (“chief”).

• 本, 原, 基, 素

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): ぐゎん (gwan)、じん (jin)
• Kun: むとぅ (mutu, 元)、むーとぅ (mūtu, 元)

Kanji in this term
元
むとぅ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Kanji in this term
元
むーとぅ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Proto-Ryukyuan *moto, from Proto-Japonic *mətə. Cognate with mainland Japanese 元 (moto).

元(むとぅ) or 元(むーとぅ) (mutu or mūtu) 

1. cause, origin
2. basis, foundation
3. cost
4. origin
5. (finance) capital
6. principal

元: Hán Nôm readings: nguyên, nguyễn

1. source, origin, base
2. a family name