亶

亶 originally meant “a great heap of grain,” symbolizing abundance. From this concrete sense it extended to describe qualities of being thick, solid, honest, or sincere, and by further abstraction came to mean true, trustworthy, or genuinely so. As an adverb it can mean “truly, indeed, verily.”

Originally a pictograph of grain piled up in abundance, later stylized.

Semantic evolution: abundance → solidity of character → sincerity → truth.

Semantic range:

- truly, indeed, verily (진실로, 참으로);

- honest, sincere (신실하다, 믿다);

- abundant, plentiful (본래 의미).

亶誠 (단성) — sincere and genuine

亶信 (단신) — true faith, reliable trust

亶厚 (단후) — deeply kind and sincere

亶然 (단연) — truly, indeed

In classical texts, 亶 often appears as an intensifier, stressing truthfulness, moral integrity, and abundance of sincerity. It reflects the Confucian virtue of being 厚 (후, thick, genuine) in dealings with others. In ancient oaths and declarations, 亶 could underline the absolute truth of one’s words.

亶, with its connotations of truth, sincerity, and trust, naturally resonates with Christian theological language. It parallels biblical terms like “verily, truly” (often rendered ἀμήν, amen in Greek; אמן in Hebrew), which convey firmness, faithfulness, and trustworthiness.

Chinese Christian texts sometimes use 亶 in compounds such as 亶信 (true faith) to emphasize genuine belief and steadfast trust in God. In this way, 亶 bridges the classical moral sense of sincerity with the Christian call to live in faith and truth.