混沌

Chinese

	to mix; to get along; thoughtless to mix; to get along; thoughtless; confused; dirty; mix	confused; turbid
trad. (混沌)	混	沌
simp. ^#(混沌)	混	沌
alternative forms	渾沌／浑沌渾敦／浑敦 archaic 混淪／混沦 archaic 渾淪／浑沦 archaic

Etymology

Old Chinese *guːnʔ duːnʔ. The variant 渾淪／浑沦 (húnlún) suggests that this perhaps came from *guːnʔ l̥uːnʔ ~ guːnʔ ruːnʔ, from **gruːnʔ, from the root *k(V)r- ("to flow > to mix > to be turbid, chaotic").

Related to 餛飩／馄饨 (húntun, “wonton”) and 雲吞／云吞 (yúntūn, “wonton”).

Compare 渾 (OC *ɡuːn, *ɡuːnʔ), 混 (OC *ɡuːnʔ, “rapidly flowing water; turbidity; confusedness; unclearness; big; whole”), Korean 흐르— (heureu-, “to flow; to float; to fill”), 흐리— (heuri-, “to be turbid, unclear, indistinct”), 흐릿하— (heuritha-, “to be vague, indistinct”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): hùndùn

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄣˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wan⁶ deon⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fun-tun
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hūn-tūn

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: hùndùn
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄨㄣˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: hùndùn
  - Wade–Giles: hun⁴-tun⁴
  - Yale: hwùn-dwùn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huennduenn
  - Palladius: хуньдунь (xunʹdunʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ tu̯ən⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    混沌
    混淪 / 混沦
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: wan⁶ deon⁶
  - Yale: wahn deuhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wan⁶ doen⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: wen⁶ dên⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐn²² tɵn²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fun-tun
  - Hakka Romanization System: fun dun
  - Hagfa Pinyim: fun⁴ dun⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /fun⁵⁵ tun⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hūn-tūn
  - Tâi-lô: hūn-tūn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: huxndun
  - IPA (Xiamen): /hun²²⁻²¹ tun²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hun⁴¹⁻²² tun⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hun²²⁻²¹ tun²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /hun³³⁻¹¹ tun³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hun³³⁻²¹ tun³³/

Middle Chinese: hwonX dwonX

Rime
Character	混	沌
Reading #	1/1	2/3
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	定 (7)
Final (韻)	魂 (55)	魂 (55)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	胡本切	徒損切
Baxter	hwonX	dwonX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦuən^X/	/duən^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦuon^X/	/duon^X/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuən^X/	/duən^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwən^X/	/dwən^X/
Li Rong	/ɣuən^X/	/duən^X/
Wang Li	/ɣuən^X/	/duən^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣuən^X/	/dʱuən^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hùn	dùn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wan⁶	deon⁶

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*ɡuːnʔ duːnʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	混	沌
Reading #	1/1	3/3
No.	7536	12558
Phonetic component	昆	屯
Rime group	文	文
Rime subdivision	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	混	囤
Old Chinese	/*ɡuːnʔ/	/*duːnʔ/

Noun

混沌

(Chinese mythology) Hundun (the unclear, confused and nebulous state of the primordial world)
wholeness; inseparability
unclearness; indistinctness; obscurity; vagueness; obfuscation
silliness; stupidity
(Chinese mythology) hundun (legendary faceless creature)
(mathematics) chaos

Synonyms

(Hundun): (literary, figurative) 䒌靘 (mìngqìng)

Derived terms

混沌理論 / 混沌理论 (hùndùn lǐlùn)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (混沌):

→ Japanese: 混沌(こんとん) (konton)
→ Korean: 혼돈(混沌) (hondon)
→ Vietnamese: hỗn độn (混沌)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
混	沌
こん Grade: 5	とん Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
渾沌

Etymology

From Chinese 混沌 (hùndùn).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こんとん [kòńtóń] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [kõ̞ntõ̞ɴ]

Adjective

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton) ^†-tari (adnominal 混(こん)沌(とん)とした (konton to shita) or 混(こん)沌(とん)たる (konton taru), adverbial 混(こん)沌(とん)と (konton to) or 混(こん)沌(とん)として (konton to shite))

chaotic

Adverb

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton)

chaotically

Noun

混(こん)沌(とん) • (konton)

chaos
- 2014 March 8, “オシリスの天(てん)空(くう)竜(りゅう) [Osiris the Sky Dragon]”, in 決闘王の記憶－決闘者の王国編－ [Memories of the Duel King: Duelist Kingdom Arc], Konami:
  
  天(てん)空(くう)に雷(らい)鳴(めい)轟(とどろ)く混(こん)沌(とん)の時(とき)、連(つら)なる鎖(くさり)の中(なか)に古(いにしえ)の魔(ま)導(どう)書(しょ)を束(たば)ね、その力(ちから)無(む)限(げん)の限(かぎ)りを誇(ほこ)らん。
  Tenkū ni raimei todoroku konton no toki, tsuranaru kusari no naka ni inishie no Madōsho o tabane, sono chikara mugen no kagiri o hokoran.
  Such power knows no bounds, it puts the ancient Sorcery Grimoires in tangling chains when chaos roars with thunder in the sky.

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
混	沌

Noun

混沌 • (hondon) (hangeul 혼돈)

hanja form^? of 혼돈 (“chaos”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
混	沌

Adjective

混沌

chữ Hán form of hỗn độn (“chaotic; disorderly”)

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-2] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-3] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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