傾

Phono-semantic compound:

傾 = 人 (“person”, semantic) + 頃 (“moment; slight tilt”, phonetic)

人 — gives the idea of bodily posture or orientation (“to lean”)

頃 — ancient meaning included slight turning / inclination, which later extended to “brief moment.”

It provides the pronunciation 경 (MC kʰjɨng / kʰjieng).

Historical note:

徐灝 (서호) in his commentary to Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) wrote:

“頃、傾古今字。”

“頃 and 傾 are ancient and modern forms of the same word.”

Thus, 頃 originally served both roles; 傾 later specialized to the meaning “to lean/tilt.”

傾 originally described a physical tilt of a person, later extended to:

- emotional leaning (favor, preference)

- mental devotion (attention, affection)

- complete giving up of resources (as in 傾家).

Basic verbal meaning:

기울다 / 기울이다

• 경사진 → slanted

• 기울기 → slope, inclination

Common Sino-Korean words:

傾斜 (경사) — slope, inclination

傾向 (경향) — tendency

傾倒 (경도) — to admire deeply; to be captivated

Figurative usage:

Korean also uses 傾 in metaphorical senses identical to classical Chinese:

傾心 (경심) — to fall for; to admire deeply

傾注 (경주) — to devote fully; to pour one’s effort

Distinction with 頃:

Korean reading for both characters is 경, but:

頃 — “moment, shortly, about”

傾 — “to lean/tilt, incline; devote fully”

Some old documents occasionally use 頃 in place of 傾, reflecting the ancient relationship.

Classical citations:

《史記·范雎蔡澤列傳》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「秦王傾耳而聽之。」

“The King of Qin leaned (tilted) his ear to listen attentively” — 傾 = to incline the body toward something (attention).

《楚辭·屈原〈離騷〉》 (Chu Ci, Songs of Chu)

「眾女嫉余之蛾眉兮，謠諑謂余以善淫；固時俗之工巧兮，偭規矩而改錯。背繩墨以傾側兮。」

“They rejected the standards and turned away from the carpenter’s rule, deviating into crookedness” — 傾側 = to be slanted; not upright.

《後漢書·馬援傳》 (Book of the Later Han Dynasty)

「傾家以奉國。」

“He devoted (poured out) his entire household wealth to serve the state” — 傾 = “to pour out; to devote fully.”