讓

Phono-semantic compound:

言 (말씀 언) — semantic component, indicating speech or words, hinting at an act of communication or concession.

襄 (도울 양) — phonetic component, providing the sound “yang/“(nyaŋ-s)” in Old Chinese.

辭讓 (사양) — to decline, to defer

寬讓 (관양) — leniently yield; to be forgiving and yielding

謙讓 (겸양) — modesty and yielding; to exhibit humility

讓步 (양보) — to give way; to make concession

讓與 (양여) — to yield, to transfer

From the 莊子 (Zhuang Zi), chapter 「秋水」:

「昔者堯、舜讓而帝，之、噲讓而絕；湯、武爭而王，白公爭而滅。由此觀之，爭讓之禮 …」

“In former times Yao and Shun yielded and (thus) became emperors; Zhi and Kuai yielded and ceased; Tang and Wu contended and ruled; Bai Gong contended and was destroyed. From this one observes: the ritual of contending and yielding…”

This shows 讓 in the sense of yielding (양보) in ancient political-ritual context.

From a commentary on early Chinese self-cultivation:

“曰若稽古帝堯，曰放勳：欽、明、文、思、安安、允恭、克讓。”

The phrase “克讓” — “able to yield”— indicating that yielding is a moral virtue.

Thus, 讓 carries not only the everyday sense of “to allow / yield” but also the moral/ritual sense of “defer, show humility and let others take precedence”. In classical Confucian and Daoist discourse, yielding (讓) is a positive virtue rather than weakness.