<p><strong>Outlier</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>PY xián (or jiān, jiàn)</p>
<p><strong>FORM</strong><br />
閒 originally depicted a door (門), such that the moon (月) could be seen through a crack in the door, indicating the original meaning “crack, split.”</p>
<p><strong>COMPONENTS</strong><br />
門<br />
In 閒, 門 “a double-sided door; door, gate; opening” is a form component, pointing to the original meaning “crack, split.”</p>
<p>月<br />
In 閒, 月 “the moon” is a form component.</p>
<p><strong>MEANINGS</strong><br />
xián<br />
1 (orig.) crack, split<br />
2 ○ leisure, free time</p>
<p>jiān<br />
1 → room, space (same as 間)<br />
2 ⇒ duration of time</p>
<p>jiàn<br />
1 → space in between (same as 間)<br />
2 ⇒ separate</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The reference they give:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>p. 837<br />
季旭昇，2004《說文新證》，台北：藝文印書館印行，2014年9月第二版。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It looks like the entry in Xinzheng actually begins on page 836. Here is the combined original</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gFn3v.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gFn3v.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a>
<a href="https://i.sstatic.net/NqvyJ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/NqvyJ.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The idea of free time is another phonetic loan again. Seems a bit climatic, I know.</p>
<hr />
<p>Here is p. 1043《字源》talking about 閑</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lFuwr.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lFuwr.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The last sentence is quite interesting.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>如今“閒”废止不用，“閒”的空间义由“间”表示，閒的空暇义由“闲”表示。</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li>閑 was originally a character that meant, &quot;fencing around a door.&quot;</li>
<li>閒 was orignally a character that meant, &quot;crack/split.&quot;</li>
<li>閑 was borrowed for it's sound to indicate, &quot;free time.&quot;</li>
<li>間 has derivative meanings of &quot;room/space&quot; from the idea of &quot;crack/split.&quot;</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-18T09:57:03.520Z
I guess the real question is: if they were both "hean" in MC when did 閑 split to ---> x- and when did 閒 split to ----> j-?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-18T10:05:45.283Z
I'm not sure that's the right question. 閒 was never pronounced **jiān**, *crack* (閒, Baxter–Sagart OC: **/\*N-kˤre[n]/**) was always cognate to *space* (間, **/\*kˤre[n]/**). In MC, 閒 merged with 閑 in pronunciation.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-16T14:12:05.250Z
2020-12-18T09:52:50.487Z
2020-12-18T09:52:50.487Z
Mou某
<p>I can understand the link between 閒 and 間/间, being the empty spaces where moonlight or sunlight can shine through the doors --&gt; empty space.
But how did this 閒 also end up becoming similar to 閑/闲? And how does a &quot;moon behind the door&quot; or &quot;tree behind the door&quot; correlate with the meaning of &quot;free time&quot;?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-12-10T18:19:37.433Z
I removed the Simplified Chinese characters from the question - the choices for these characters being used this way isn't particular to Simplified Chinese. https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/65608/why-is-the-meaning-of-kanji-%e9%96%91-leisure/65610#65610
dROOOze
<glyph-origin><character-variant>
How did 閒 end up becoming 閑 and 間?
# How did 閒 end up becoming 閑 and 間?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-12-10)

I can understand the link between 閒 and 間/间, being the empty spaces where moonlight or sunlight can shine through the doors --> empty space.
But how did this 閒 also end up becoming similar to 閑/闲? And how does a "moon behind the door" or "tree behind the door" correlate with the meaning of "free time"?

**Tags:** glyph-origin, character-variant

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I removed the Simplified Chinese characters from the question - the choices for these characters being used this way isn't particular to Simplified Chinese. https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/65608/why-is-the-meaning-of-kanji-%e9%96%91-leisure/65610#65610  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-12-16. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

**Outlier**

> PY xián (or jiān, jiàn)
>
> **FORM**  
> 閒 originally depicted a door (門), such that the moon (月) could be seen through a crack in the door, indicating the original meaning “crack, split.”
>
> **COMPONENTS**  
> 門  
> In 閒, 門 “a double-sided door; door, gate; opening” is a form component, pointing to the original meaning “crack, split.”
>
> 月  
> In 閒, 月 “the moon” is a form component.
>
> **MEANINGS**  
> xián  
> 1 (orig.) crack, split  
> 2 ○ leisure, free time
>
> jiān  
> 1 → room, space (same as 間)  
> 2 ⇒ duration of time
>
> jiàn  
> 1 → space in between (same as 間)  
> 2 ⇒ separate

The reference they give:

> p. 837  
> 季旭昇，2004《說文新證》，台北：藝文印書館印行，2014年9月第二版。

It looks like the entry in Xinzheng actually begins on page 836. Here is the combined original

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/gFn3v.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/gFn3v.png)
> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/NqvyJ.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/NqvyJ.png)

The idea of free time is another phonetic loan again. Seems a bit climatic, I know.

---

Here is p. 1043《字源》talking about 閑

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lFuwr.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/lFuwr.png)

The last sentence is quite interesting.

> 如今“閒”废止不用，“閒”的空间义由“间”表示，閒的空暇义由“闲”表示。

* 閑 was originally a character that meant, "fencing around a door."
* 閒 was orignally a character that meant, "crack/split."
* 閑 was borrowed for it's sound to indicate, "free time."
* 間 has derivative meanings of "room/space" from the idea of "crack/split."

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I guess the real question is: if they were both "hean" in MC when did 閑 split to ---> x- and when did 閒 split to ----> j-?  
> **username_1**: I'm not sure that's the right question. 閒 was never pronounced **jiān**, *crack* (閒, Baxter–Sagart OC: **/\*N-kˤre[n]/**) was always cognate to *space* (間, **/\*kˤre[n]/**). In MC, 閒 merged with 閑 in pronunciation.  

---

