鈍

A phono-semantic compound composed of:

金 — “metal,” indicating tools, hardness, or physical properties

屯 — phonetic element (dùn), originally meaning “to gather; to be difficult; congested”

The earliest meaning refers to a metal object whose edge is not sharp.

From this physical sense, the meaning naturally expanded to:

- dull senses

- slow reactions

- lack of mental acuity

This metaphorical extension is extremely common in Classical Chinese.

둔하다 (鈍하다) — dull, slow-witted

둔감 (鈍感) — dull sensation; insensitivity

둔기 (鈍器) — blunt weapon

우둔 (愚鈍) — foolish and dull

완둔 (頑鈍) — stubbornly obtuse

鈍 represents the negative pole of sharpness and responsiveness.

Figurative usage:

- dull intellect

- slow perception

- emotional numbness

- lack of responsiveness

Like many metal-related characters, 鈍 metaphorically describes human qualities.

In East Asian thought, 鈍 is not always negative, dullness may imply steadiness, lack of rashness, or emotional restraint.

In Buddhism, a 鈍根 person may progress more slowly but is not inferior in worth.

Related characters:

利 — sharp, advantageous

鋭 — sharp, keen (acute, piercing)

敏 — quick, alert, agile

愚 — foolish

鈍 — dull, slow

In Japanese only, 鈍色 (にびいろ) refers to a deep gray / soot-like gray. This usage is lexical and cultural, unrelated to the core meaning of dullness.

In classical literature, 鈍 often appears in contrast with 利 (sharp, keen):

利鈍 — sharpness and dullness

This pairing is used not only for weapons, but also for:

- intelligence

- talent

- political judgment

In Buddhist texts, 鈍 is used in doctrinal classification:

鈍根 — dull faculties

利根 — sharp faculties

This refers to a practitioner’s capacity for insight, not moral worth.