閏

A compound ideograph composed of:

門 (문 문) — “gate,” symbolizing an entrance or passage.

王 (임금 왕) — “king,” representing authority and cosmic governance.

According to the Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), the combination derives from a passage in the Zhouli (周禮):

「閏月詔王居門終月」

“In the intercalary month, the king is instructed to dwell within the palace gates for the entire month.”

This reflects the ritual pause of the ruler during the leap month — a time for reflection and recalibration of heaven, earth, and human affairs.

Hence the semantic core of 閏 became “intercalation,” “extra month,” or “to dwell in the gate during the added time.”

Originally, the radical of 閏 was 王部 (the king radical), emphasizing the ruler’s ceremonial role in calendrical regulation.

However, during the compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典), it was reassigned to the 門部 (gate radical) because of its structural dominance and semantic relevance to “enclosure” or “interval.”

Seal script (篆書): clearly depicts a gate enclosing the king, indicating an enclosed or special time.

Clerical & regular scripts (隸·楷書): evolved toward the compact modern form, where 門 surrounds 王 harmoniously.

The character’s visual symbolism — a king within the gate — came to represent a pause in worldly activity to maintain cosmic order.

윤달 (閏月) — leap month

윤년 (閏年) — leap year

윤일 (閏日) — leap day (rare)

In traditional Korean folk belief, 윤달 was often regarded as an unlucky or anomalous time, unsuitable for weddings or funerals — a reflection of its position outside ordinary time.

Nevertheless, it also symbolized renewal and cosmic correction, harmonizing human affairs with celestial cycles.

In the traditional lunisolar calendar, a year normally contained twelve months (約354 days).

To synchronize the lunar cycle with the solar year (約365 days), an intercalary month (閏月) was periodically added — usually every two or three years.

This act of insertion symbolized the restoration of cosmic harmony (陰陽調和) — ensuring that time itself remained aligned with Heaven’s rhythm.

In ritual and folklore, the leap month was seen as both auspicious and uncanny:

A gift of extra time from Heaven, allowing unfinished matters to be completed.

Yet a disruption of natural order, requiring caution and reverence.

Thus, 閏 stands for both temporal correction and metaphysical liminality — the pause between cycles where order is re-established.

閠

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