遷

Phono-semantic compound:

辵 / 辶 (to move, to walk) — semantic

䙴 (오를 선 / 옮길 천) — phonetic

Original form 䙴 was composed of:

舁 ("to lift, carry")

囟 (head top) or sometimes elements like 角 + 邑 in ancient scripts.

Meaning in 《說文解字》 (Shuowen Jiezi):

「遷，登也。」

“遷 means to ascend.”

This shows the early semantic link between moving upward and moving / transferring.

When the meaning shifted toward moving / transferring, the movement radical 辵 was added, producing 遷.

천이 (遷移) — migration, shift

천도 (遷都) — relocating a capital

좌천 (左遷) — demotion / being ‘moved down’ in rank

변천 (變遷) — changes over time, transitions

이천 (移遷) — another form meaning relocation

Although 옮길 천, in everyday Korean 옮기다 uses native vocabulary or 移/運 compounds more often.

遷 often implies:

- large-scale, formal, or slow movement

- movement with historical or bureaucratic weight

Examples: capital relocation, dynastic change, population migration.

Contrast with similar characters:

移 — move lightly, shift position

運 — transport / carry

遷 — move with significant change, official relocation, or long-term transition

Classical citations:

《詩經·小雅·采薇》 (The Book of Songs)

「昔我往矣，楊柳依依；今我來思，雨雪霏霏。行道遷移。」

“…traveling on the road, shifting and moving (遷移) continually.”

Here 遷 conveys continuous movement or displacement.

《史記·殷本紀》 (Records of the Grand Historian)

「天命靡常，遷于鳴條。」

“Heaven’s mandate is not constant; it shifted (遷) to Mingtiao.”

Meaning: political or dynastic transfer.

《書經·盤庚》 (Book of Documents)

「若有恒心，則可遷于殷。」

“If there is firmness of heart, then you may move to Yin.”

One of the earliest attestations regarding capital relocation (遷都).