朋
- friend, companion;
Etymology
Ancient form: 𠤈 (original form of 朋):
Oracle bone and bronze inscriptions depict two strings of cowries (貝) tied together, representing a higher unit of currency.
Ancient monetary system:
1 系 (xì) = 5 cowries
2 系 = 10 cowries = 1 朋
Thus, 朋 originally meant "a pair / a set of valuables".
Because valuables are paired, the meaning extended metaphorically to:
- “companions who go together”
- “friends who form a pair”
This metaphor still echoes in English (“a pair,” “a companion,” “fellowship”).
Misleading appearance in modern script
Modern 朋 looks like:
月 + 月 = “two moons” or “two flesh radicals”
But it has nothing to do with moon or flesh.
This shape is purely the result of:
seal script simplification → clerical script → regular script
The bottom feathers of the roc (鵬) associated with earlier forms collapsed into the modern paired-月 structure.
Usage in Korean
Common in four-character idioms involving friendship or factionalism.
붕우 (朋友) — friend, companion
붕당 (朋黨) — faction, clique (often negative)
배붕 (陪朋) — companions, associates
붕우유신 (朋友有信) — “Between friends there must be trust.”
Additional notes
Korean Sino-reading 붕 is extremely rare. Most characters read 붕 share this phonetic:
崩 (무너질 붕)
棚 (시렁 붕 — though modern Korean reads it ‘붕’ only historically)
繃 (묶을 붕)
鵬 (대붕 — mythical enormous bird)
硼 (붕사, boron)
This reinforces 朋 as the base phonetic.
Distinction from 鵬 (대붕 붕):
Some early forms of 朋 were visually similar to the lower parts of 鵬.
But 鵬 refers to the giant mythical bird from 《莊子》, whereas 朋 refers to “paired valuables” → “companions.”
In Confucian education, the famous line:
有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？
“Is it not a delight when friends come from afar?” — makes 朋 one of the most culturally recognizable characters despite its rare independent use.
Classical citations:
《論語·學而》 (Analects 1:1)
「有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？」
“When friends come from afar, is it not a joy?”
Here, 朋 is part of the compound 朋友 but still reflects its base meaning.
《論語·學而》 (Analects 1:1)
「朋有信。」
“Between friends, there must be trust.”
Conceptual use in early Confucian ethics.
《孟子·告子上》 (Mencius)
「以其友道，故稱其朋也。」
“Because of the way they treated their companions, they were called friends.”
Shows 朋 as “companions of equal standing.”
Alternative forms
朋󠄁 (U+E0101) — alternate “two 肉” form (rare)
