使

A phono-semantic compound:

人 (사람 인) provides the semantic component “person.”

吏 (벼슬아치 리) provides the phonetic element, indicating pronunciation.

The graph conveys the idea of “making a person act” → “to cause, to order, to employ.”

Semantic range:

- to cause, to order, to make (하여금);

- to employ, to use, to put into service (부리다, 사용하다);

- envoy, emissary, official (사신, 사자).

使役 (사역) — to employ, to use; also “causative” in grammar

使節 (사절) — envoy, diplomatic mission

大使 (대사) — ambassador

天使 (천사) — angel (“heavenly messenger”)

使命 (사명) — mission, mandate

In Confucian texts, 使 often appears in the sense of “to make someone act” within the context of ritual or governance, emphasizing proper delegation of duties and hierarchical order.

In Daoist texts, 使 can appear in the sense of “employing” or “making use of” the Dao, though often with an undertone that true mastery lies in not forcing but allowing things to act of themselves.

In Christian usage (漢字文化圈 translations), 使 is prominent in the compound 使徒 (사도, apostle), literally “one who is sent,” used in East Asian translations of the Bible to render the Greek apostolos. This gives the character a strong association with divine mission and spiritual authority in Christian contexts.