秘

See also: 祕

秘 U+79D8, 秘 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-79D8 ← 秗 [U+79D7] CJK Unified Ideographs 秙 → [U+79D9]

Text style	Emoji style
㊙︎	㊙️
Text style is forced with ⟨︎⟩ and emoji style with ⟨️⟩.
㊙ U+3299, ㊙ CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH SECRET ← ㊘ [U+3298] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㊚ → [U+329A]

Translingual

Han character

秘 (Kangxi radical 115, 禾+5, 10 strokes, cangjie input 竹木心竹 (HDPH), four-corner 2390₀, composition ⿰禾必)

Derived characters

• 𱓷, 𦷬, 𥡁, 𢢃

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 851, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24977
• Dae Jaweon: page 1275, character 12
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2601, character 7
• Unihan data for U+79D8

Chinese

trad.		秘/祕
simp.		秘/祕
祕 - only used as a surname or in a given name in Simplified Chinese

Glyph origin

Characters in the same phonetic series (必) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
泌	*mpriɡs, *priɡ, *bliɡ
秘	*mpriɡs
毖	*priɡs
閟	*priɡs
柲	*priɡs, *bliːɡ, *priɡ, *bliɡ
鉍	*priɡs, *priɡ
邲	*priɡs, *bliɡ, *briɡ
覕	*pliŋs, *mbliːɡ
咇	*bliːɡ, *priɡ, *bliɡ
苾	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
馝	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
飶	*bliːɡ, *bliɡ
鴓	*mbliːɡ
鮅	*pliɡ, *bliɡ
必	*pliɡ
珌	*pliɡ
佖	*bliɡ, *briɡ
駜	*bliɡ, *briɡ
怭	*bliɡ
妼	*bliɡ
宓	*mriɡ, *mliɡ
樒	*mriɡ
密	*mriɡ
蔤	*mriɡ
滵	*mriɡ
蜜	*mliɡ
謐	*mliɡ
榓	*mliɡ
淧	*mliɡ
瑟	*smriɡ, *smriɡ
璱	*sriɡ
飋	*sriɡ
虙	*blɯɡ

In current form: Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mpriɡs) : semantic 禾 + phonetic 必 (OC *pliɡ).

Variant (俗字) of 祕 via 示 → 禾, hence there is a reference to secret rituals and the concept of arcane.

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Read mì instead of bì in Mandarin as a result of conflation with 密 (mì) (c.f. 秘密 (mìmì)) (Fu, 1958).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): mì, bì (mi⁴, bi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧˋ, ㄅㄧˋ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): би (bi, III)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bei³ / bai³

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): bi¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): bi⁴
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): pi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): bi⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): bé
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): pì

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bi³

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵pi; ⁵mi
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): bei⁴ / mi⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mì
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mì
    • Wade–Giles: mi⁴
    • Yale: mì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mih
    • Palladius: ми (mi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi⁵¹/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bì
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bì
    • Wade–Giles: pi⁴
    • Yale: bì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bih
    • Palladius: би (bi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹/

Note: bì - rare except in 秘魯 (“Peru”) and as a surname.

• • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: би (bi, III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: bei³ / bai³
    • Yale: bei / bai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bei³ / bai³
    • Guangdong Romanization: béi³ / bei³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei̯³³/, /pɐi̯³³/

Note: bai3 - variant (rare).

• • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: bi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pi
    • Hakka Romanization System: bi
    • Hagfa Pinyim: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: bi⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pi⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: bé
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɛi²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pì
    • Tâi-lô: pì
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pix
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pi²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pi⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pi²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pi¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pi²¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bi³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pì
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵pi; ⁵mi
    • MiniDict: pi^去; 'mi^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²pi; ²'mi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pi³⁴/, /mi³⁴/

Note:

• 2pi - vernacular;
• 2'mi - literary.

• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: bei⁴ / mi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pe̞i̯⁴⁵/, /mi²⁴/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 秘 (秘書)
Mandarin	Beijing	/mi⁵¹/
	Harbin	/mi⁵³/
	Tianjin	/mi⁵³/
	Jinan	/mi²¹/
	Qingdao	/mi⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/mi²⁴/
	Xi'an	/mi²¹/
	Xining	/mji⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/mi¹³/
	Lanzhou	/mi¹³/
	Ürümqi	/mi²¹³/
	Wuhan	/mi²¹³/
	Chengdu	/pei¹³/ /mi³¹/
	Guiyang	/mi²¹/
	Kunming	/mi³¹/
	Nanjing	/pi⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/pz̩⁵³/ /mz̩⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/miəʔ²/
	Pingyao	/pi³⁵/
	Hohhot	/miəʔ⁴³/
Wu	Shanghai	/pi³⁵/
	Suzhou	/pi⁵¹³/
	Hangzhou	/pi⁴⁴⁵/
	Wenzhou	/mi²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/pi³²⁴/
	Tunxi	/mi⁴²/
Xiang	Changsha	/mi²⁴/ /pei⁵⁵/
	Xiangtan	/pi⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/pi⁴⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/pi⁵³/
	Taoyuan	/pi⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/pei³³/
	Nanning	/pi³³/
	Hong Kong	/pei³³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/pi²¹/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/pɛi²¹²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/mi²⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/pi²¹³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/mit̚⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: pijH

Rime
Character	秘
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	脂 (17)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	兵媚切
Baxter	pijH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pˠiɪH/
Pan Wuyun	/pᵚiH/
Shao Rongfen	/piɪH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/pjiH/
Li Rong	/pjiH/
Wang Li	/piH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/piH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bei3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*mpriɡs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	秘
Reading #	1/1
No.	553
Phonetic component	必
Rime group	至
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	祕
Old Chinese	/*mpriɡs/
Notes	祕注俗字

Definitions

秘

1. secret; undisclosed; confidential
2. mysterious; abstruse
3. rare; scarce; extraordinary
4. to keep as a secret
5. to block
6. Short for 秘書／秘书 (mìshū, “secretary”).
7. Short for 秘魯／秘鲁 (Bìlǔ, “Peru”).
8. a surname

Compounds

• 便秘
• 傳神秘要／传神秘要
• 汪秘 (Wāngmì)
• 秘不發喪／秘不发丧 (mìbùfāsāng)
• 秘事
• 秘史 (mìshǐ)
• 秘密 (mìmì)
• 秘寶／秘宝 (mìbǎo)
• 秘方 (mìfāng)
• 秘書／秘书 (mìshū)
• 秘本 (mìběn)
• 秘籍 (mìjí)
• 秘而不宣 (mì'érbùxuān)
• 秘聞／秘闻 (mìwén)
• 秘色 (mìsè)
• 秘色瓷
• 秘藏
• 秘計／秘计 (mìjì)
• 秘訣／秘诀 (mìjué)
• 秘話／秘话
• 秘魯／秘鲁

 

Japanese

Shinjitai	秘
Kyūjitai	祕

Kanji

秘

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 祕)

1. secret; confidential

Readings

• Go-on: ひ (hi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: ひ (hi, Jōyō)
• Kun: ひめる (himeru, 秘める, Jōyō)、かくす (kakusu, 秘す)、ひそか (hisoka, 秘か)
• Nanori: なし (nashi)、なみ (nami)、み (mi)、やす (yasu)

Compounds

• 秘(ひ)術(じゅつ) (hijutsu): numerology, or a secret art
• 秘(ひ)術(じゅつ)師(し) (hijutsushi): a practitioner of a secret art
• 秘(ひ)書(しょ) (hisho): secretary
• 秘(ひ)密(みつ) (himitsu): secret
• 秘(ひ)儀(ぎ) (higi)
• 秘(ひ)境(きょう) (hikyō)
• 秘(ひ)訣(けつ) (hiketsu)
• 秘(ひ)法(ほう) (hihō)

Korean

Hanja

秘 • (bi) (hangeul 비, revised bi, McCune–Reischauer pi, Yale pi)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

秘: Hán Nôm readings: bí

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