約

約 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+3, 9 strokes, cangjie input 女火心戈 (VFPI) or 女火心一 (VFPM), four-corner 2792₀, composition ⿰糹勺)

• 喲 (哟), 葯 (药), 箹 (𰩺)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 915, character 21
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27242
• Dae Jaweon: page 1343, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3364, character 15
• Unihan data for U+7D04

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ʔlewɢs, *ʔlewɢ): semantic 糸 (“rope”) + phonetic 勺 (OC *pljewɢ, *bljewɢ).

According to Schuessler (2007), related to Tibetan ཡོག (yog, “to wind thread around”). Note also Burmese ယောက် (yauk, “to wind thread around a spool”).

約

1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to bundle up; to bind
2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) rope; cord
3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to restrain; to limit; to keep under control
4. to make an appointment; to arrange
5. appointment; meeting; arrangement
6. treaty; agreement; covenant; pact; contract
7. to invite or ask in advance

   我想約你明天一起去吃飯，不知道你有沒有時間。 [MSC, trad.]
   我想约你明天一起去吃饭，不知道你有没有时间。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xiǎng yuē nǐ míngtiān yīqǐ qù chīfàn, bù zhīdào nǐ yǒu méiyǒu shíjiān. [Pinyin]

   I'd like to invite you out to have a meal tomorrow, if you have the time.

8. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to hinder; to block
9. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to save; to economise
10. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) frugal; economical; thrifty
11. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) brief; concise; succinct
12. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) poor; humble; low-ranking
13. (mathematics) to reduce (a fraction)
14. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to prepare; to equip
15. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to seek; to pursue
16. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to estimate; to approximate; to reckon
17. (colloquial) to weigh (on a balance or scale)
18. about; approximately

    約220大卡／约220大卡  ―  yuē 220 dàkǎ  ―  Approximately 220 kilocalories.

19. (Hong Kong, historical) district (of the City of Victoria)

    四環九約／四环九约 [Cantonese]  ―  sei³ waan⁴ gau² joek³ [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

20. (Hong Kong, historical) pact, group of villages (clarification of this definition is needed.)

    大埔七約／大埔七约 [Cantonese]  ―  daai⁶ bou³ cat¹ joek³ [Jyutping]  ―  the seven village groups of Tai Po

Others:

• → English: yurk (Hong Kong)

約

1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of 要 (yào, “gist; essentials”)

約

1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) cord for the string of a stringed instrument

約

1. (Hokkien) alternative form of 臆 (“to guess”)

• “約”, 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–

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. contract, promise
2. to contract, to shorten
3. approximately, roughly

• Go-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)、よう (yō)^{←えう (eu, historical)}
• Kan-on: やく (yaku, Jōyō)、よう (yō)^{←えう (eu, historical)}
• Kun: つづまやか (tsuzumayaka, 約やか)、つづめる (tsuzumeru, 約める)

• 一(いち)約(やく) (ichiyaku)
• 契(けい)約(やく) (keiyaku): contract, agreement
• 条(じょう)約(やく) (jōyaku): treaty
• 予(よ)約(やく) (yoyaku): reservation, appointment
• 約(やく)束(そく) (yakusoku): promise
• 約音(やくおん) (yakuon): syncope (in linguistics)

• (Tokyo) やく [yáꜜkù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ja̠kɯ̟]

約(やく) • (yaku) 

1. about, approximately

   約(やく)一(いっ)ヶ月(げつ)

   yaku ikkagetsu

   approximately one month

   宇宙(うちゅう)の直径(ちょっけい)は約(やく) ９３０(きゅうひゃくさんじゅう)億(おく)光年(こうねん)だ。

   Uchū no chokkei wa yaku kyūhyakusanjū-oku kōnen da.

   The diameter of the universe is some 93 billion light years.

約(やく) • (yaku) 

1. (linguistics) Clipping of 約音 (yakuon)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ja̠k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [약]

約 (eumhun 맺을 약 (maejeul yak))

1. hanja form^? of 약 (“contract, promise”)
2. hanja form^? of 약 (“approximately, roughly”)

• 계약 (契約, gyeyak, “contract”)
• 약속 (約束, yaksok, “promise”)
• 예약 (豫約, yeyak, “reservation”)

約: Hán Việt readings: ước, yêu

1. chữ Hán form of ước (“contract, promise”)
2. chữ Hán form of ước (“approximately, roughly”)
3. chữ Hán form of ước (“to wish”)