寡

Originally a pictophonetic-ideographic compound, analyzed in multiple traditions as follows:

① Early bronze form (金文):

The earliest inscriptions show a composite of:

宀 (house / roof) and a figure resembling 見 (to see) beneath.

This composition likely depicted a person looking out or longing within a house, symbolizing loneliness or bereavement.

Hence the earliest meaning of 寡 was “one left alone at home”, particularly a widow mourning her deceased spouse.

Shirakawa Shizuka (白川靜) interprets the ancient form as depicting

“a woman weeping in the ancestral hall as she looks toward her departed husband,”

emphasizing the ritual and emotional origin of the word.

② Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字) — Xu Shen’s analysis:

「寡，少也。从宀，頒聲。」

“寡 means few. Composed of 宀 (‘roof’) and 頒 (‘to divide’) as phonetic.”

However, as modern epigraphers have noted, this explanation is anachronistic and based on the later Small Seal form, which stylized the original 見 component into 頁 + 分.

Thus Xu Shen’s derivation likely reflects a graphic reinterpretation, not the true pictorial origin.

③ Alternative hypothesis (Huang Dekuan, 黃德寬):

宀 (house) serves as the semantic element, while 顧 (to look back) acts as the phonetic — implying “one who looks back toward the home,” again reinforcing the idea of a bereaved or solitary person.

寡婦 (과부) — widow

寡人 (과인) — “the lonely one,” humble term a ruler uses for himself (lit. “I, the one who has few virtues”)

多寡 (다과) — more or less; quantity; degree

寡言 (과언) — reticent speech; reserved in words

寡情 (과정) — lacking in feeling or affection

寡欲 (과욕) — moderation of desire; ascetic restraint

寡信 (과신) — distrustful; lacking faith

寡見 (과견) — shallow insight; limited experience

寡聞 (과문) — little learning; “my knowledge is meager” (a humble expression)

In classical Chinese and literary Korean, 寡 was frequently used in modest self-reference — a mark of humility before others.

「寡人之德不善。」 (Mencius, 孟子)

“The virtue of the lonely one (the ruler) is not good” — a king referring humbly to himself as 寡人, “I, who am lacking in virtue.”

In Confucian moral language, “寡” often connoted humility and self-restraint.

A virtuous ruler calls himself “寡人” to show modesty, implying that he “has few virtues (寡德).”

This rhetorical self-effacement became a hallmark of classical Chinese political decorum.

Meanwhile, in social and familial ethics, 寡婦 (widow) carried both pity and dignity — a woman who remained faithful to her deceased husband.

Hence 節婦 (chaste woman) and 寡婦 were often praised in Confucian literature as models of virtue.

In Buddhist and Daoist usage, 寡欲 (moderation of desire) and 寡言 (restraint in speech) reflect the ideal of non-attachment and simplicity — the inner quietness of the sage.

「聖人寡欲，故心靜而德全。」

“The sage has few desires; thus his mind is calm and his virtue complete.”

Semantic development:

From the literal sense “widowed, bereft, alone”, the word’s meaning extended metaphorically to:

Deficiency in number or quality — “few, scarce.”

Deficiency in virtue or power — as used by monarchs in self-deprecating speech.

Deficiency in emotion or attachment — “cold,” “reserved,” “without passion.”

Hence, 寡 expresses both quantitative smallness and emotional restraint or solitude.

It stands in contrast to 多 (many) and sometimes 少 (few but neutral);

where 少 implies youthful smallness, 寡 suggests mature scarcity or lack.

Across all contexts, 寡 expresses absence through dignity — the quiet nobility of one who has little yet remains steadfast and whole.

Linguistic and modern notes:

The reading 과 (gwa) remains standard in Korean, though the meaning “widow” survives mainly in 과부 (寡婦).

과인 (寡人) remains a historical or literary term for “monarch.”

In scientific and technical vocabulary, 寡 appears in translations of Greek prefix oligo- (few):

寡糖類 (과당류, oligosaccharides)

寡核苷酸 (oligonucleotide)

Despite its formal tone, these modern uses retain the core sense of “few, small, limited.”

𠆣 (⿱一人) — an archaic simplified derivative emphasizing “one person alone.”