寅

寅 (Kangxi radical 40, 宀+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 十一中金 (JMLC), four-corner 3080₆, composition ⿱宀⿳一由八)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 288, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7204
• Dae Jaweon: page 570, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 936, character 16
• Unihan data for U+5BC5

Originally an ideogram (指事): an arrow 矢 with a distinguishing mark (now 日).

In the modern form the arrowhead has corrupted into 宀.

3rd earthly branch

Smith (2011) suggests that this branch denoted the "bending, stretching, drawn out" moon phase, i.e. the waning half-moon with a concave flat edge. Smith points to

• the possible relation between 寅 (OC *lin) and 引 (OC *linʔ, “to stretch, to draw (a bow)”) (noted earlier by James Mellon Menzies); and
• that both graphs 寅 and 引 were used interchangeably as phonophorics for 螾 (OC *lin, *linʔ) and 蚓 (OC *linʔ), meaning "worm".

Association with the tiger was possibly arbitrary, just like 辰 (chén) with the dragon (see Ferlus, 2013)

寅

1. (Classical) to revere, respect

   • 同寅協恭和衷哉！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     同寅协恭和衷哉！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE

     Tóng yín xié gōng hé zhōng zāi! [Pinyin]

     When (sovereign and ministers show) a common reverence and united respect for these, lo! the moral nature (of the people) is made harmonious.

2. third of twelve earthly branches (十二支)
3. tiger (虎) of Chinese zodiac

• “寅”, 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–
• “寅”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2026.

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

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

• Go-on: いん (in)
• Kan-on: いん (in)
• Kun: とら (tora, 寅)
• Nanori: とも (tomo)、のぶ (nobu)

From 虎 (tora, “tiger”).

• (Tokyo) とら [tòrá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [to̞ɾa̠]

• Homophone: 虎

寅(とら) • (Tora) 

1. the Tiger, the third of the twelve Earthly Branches

   Hypernyms: 十二支, 地支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥

From Middle Chinese 寅 (yin).

寅(いん) • (In) 

1. the Tiger, the third of the twelve Earthly Branches

   Hypernyms: 十二支, 地支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥

• “^▲寅”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

寅 • (in, i) (hangeul 인, 이, revised in, i, McCune–Reischauer in, i)

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

寅: Hán Việt readings: dần^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}
寅: Nôm readings: dần^{[1][2][3][5][6][7]}, dờn^{[1][2][3][5][6][7]}, dàn^{[3][4][5][6][7]}, dằng^[1][3][4], rờn^[3][4][6], dớn^[5][6][7], rần^[1][3], nhớn^[3][4], dằn^[2], dợn^[3], đằn^[3], giần^[3], lần^[3]

1. chữ Hán form of Dần (“third of the twelve earthly branches”)

   Hypernyms: 地支, 十二支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥

2. chữ Nôm form of dằng (“used in dùng dằng (“to move reluctantly or indecisively”)”)
3. chữ Nôm form of dần
   1. to tenderize (oftentimes meat) by constant pounding
   2. little by little; bit by bit; gradually
4. chữ Nôm form of rần (“used in rần rật (“describes strong, rapid, repetitive sounds”)”)