紹介

See also: 介紹

Chinese

	connect; to introduce	introduce; lie between; between
trad. (紹介)	紹	介
simp. (绍介)	绍	介
anagram	介紹／介绍

Etymology

According to Sima Zhen's Commentaries on the Shiji (《史記索隱》), the original meaning of 紹介 / 绍介 (shàojiè) could be understood in the light of the 禮／礼 (lǐ, “etiquette”) for audience. Before meeting in person, the guest passes messages to the host through a series of attendants who are called 介 (jiè, “intermediary”). The word 紹／绍 (shào, “continually, serially”) describes the manner in which messages are relayed.

平原君曰：「勝請爲紹介而見之於先生。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]

平原君曰：「胜请为绍介而见之于先生。」 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

Píngyuánjūn yuē: “Shèng qǐng wéi shàojiè ér xiàn zhī yú xiānshēng.” [Pinyin]

The Lord Pingyuan said: "Please let me, Zhao Sheng, be an intermediary in the series and introduce him to you, venerable sir."

Reintroduced into Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka from Japanese 紹(しょう)介(かい) (shōkai).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shàojiè

(Zhuyin): ㄕㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): siu⁶ gaai³
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): seu-kie / seu-kiai

(Hailu, HRS): shau^ˇ gai^ˇ
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): siāu-kài

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shàojiè
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shàojiè
  - Wade–Giles: shao⁴-chieh⁴
  - Yale: shàu-jyè
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shawjieh
  - Palladius: шаоцзе (šaocze)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu⁶ gaai³
  - Yale: siuh gaai
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu⁶ gaai³
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu⁶ gai³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯²² kaːi̯³³/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: seu-kie
  - Hakka Romanization System: seu gie
  - Hagfa Pinyim: seu⁴ gie⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /seu̯⁵⁵ ki̯e⁵⁵/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: seu-kiai
  - Hakka Romanization System: seu giai
  - Hagfa Pinyim: seu⁴ giai⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /seu̯⁵⁵ ki̯ai̯⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: shau^ˇ gai^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /ʃau¹¹ kai¹¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siāu-kài
  - Tâi-lô: siāu-kài
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siauxkaix
  - IPA (Xiamen): /siau²²⁻²¹ kai²¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /siau³³⁻²¹ kai²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /siau³³⁻¹¹ kai¹¹/

Middle Chinese: dzyewX keajH

Rime
Character	紹	介
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	常 (25)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)	皆 (33)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	II
Fanqie	市沼切	古拜切
Baxter	dzyewX	keajH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʑiᴇu^X/	/kˠɛi^H/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡ʑiɛu^X/	/kᵚæi^H/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʑjæu^X/	/kɐi^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡ʑiaw^X/	/kəɨj^H/
Li Rong	/ʑiɛu^X/	/kɛi^H/
Wang Li	/ʑĭɛu^X/	/kɐi^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʑi̯ɛu^X/	/kăi^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shào	jiè
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu⁶	gaai³

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*djewʔ kreːds/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	介
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jiè
Middle Chinese	‹ kɛj^H ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁr[e]p-s/
English	armour; scale of animals
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	紹	介
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	2144	6525
Phonetic component	刀	介
Rime group	宵	祭
Rime subdivision	2	2
Corresponding MC rime	紹	誡
Old Chinese	/*djewʔ/	/*kreːds/

Verb

紹介

(literary or dialectal, chiefly Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka) to introduce
- 托他給自己紹介紹介，去進自由黨。 [MSC, trad.]
  托他给自己绍介绍介，去进自由党。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: Lu Xun, 1922. The True Story of Ah Q (《阿Q正傳》), based on the translation by Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang.
  Tuō tā gěi zìjǐ shàojie shàojie, qù jìn Zìyóudǎng. [Pinyin]
  He had also asked the latter to introduce him to the Liberty Party.

Synonyms

介紹／介绍 (jièshào)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (紹介):

→ Japanese: 紹介(しょうかい) (shōkai)
→ Korean: 소개(紹介) (sogae)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
紹	介
しょう Grade: S	かい Grade: S
on'yomi

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) しょーかい [shòókáí] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [ɕo̞ːka̠i]

Noun

紹(しょう)介(かい) • (shōkai)

introduction

Derived terms

自己紹介(じこしょうかい) (jikoshōkai)

Verb

紹(しょう)介(かい)する • (shōkai suru) suru (stem 紹(しょう)介(かい)し (shōkai shi), past 紹(しょう)介(かい)した (shōkai shita))

introduce

Conjugation

Conjugation of "紹介する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	紹介し	しょうかいし	shōkai shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	紹介し	しょうかいし	shōkai shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	紹介する	しょうかいする	shōkai suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	紹介する	しょうかいする	shōkai suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	紹介すれ	しょうかいすれ	shōkai sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	紹介せよ¹ 紹介しろ²	しょうかいせよ¹ しょうかいしろ²	shōkai seyo¹ shōkai shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	紹介される	しょうかいされる	shōkai sareru
Causative	紹介させる紹介さす	しょうかいさせるしょうかいさす	shōkai saseru shōkai sasu
Potential	紹介できる	しょうかいできる	shōkai dekiru
Volitional	紹介しよう	しょうかいしよう	shōkai shiyō
Negative	紹介しない	しょうかいしない	shōkai shinai
Negative continuative	紹介せず	しょうかいせず	shōkai sezu
Formal	紹介します	しょうかいします	shōkai shimasu
Perfective	紹介した	しょうかいした	shōkai shita
Conjunctive	紹介して	しょうかいして	shōkai shite
Hypothetical conditional	紹介すれば	しょうかいすれば	shōkai sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

References

2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Korean

Hanja in this term
紹	介

Noun

紹介 • (so'gae) (hangeul 소개)

hanja form^? of 소개 (“introduction”)