帳

Originally referred to a cloth curtain or covering, such as a tent, canopy, or screen.

Over time, it expanded in meaning to include records or ledgers — sheets of cloth or paper used to record information — giving rise to the secondary sense of “account book” (장부).

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

巾 (수건 건) — semantic component, meaning “cloth” or “fabric,” indicating that the object is textile-based.

長 (길 장) — phonetic component, providing the sound jang (장) and suggesting extension or length.

Together, they depict a long piece of cloth — a curtain or canopy used for covering, partitioning, or enclosing space.

帳幕 (장막) — tent; curtain; tabernacle

帳篷 (장붕) — canopy; awning; tent (modern Chinese)

蚊帳 (문장) — mosquito net

帳房 (장방) — office; clerk’s room; (archaic) tent for keeping records

帳本 (장본) — account book; ledger

帳簿 (장부) — register; bookkeeping record

帳號 (장호) — account number (modern digital use)

營帳 (영장) — military tent; camp tent

帳中 (장중) — inside the tent; inner quarters

In ancient China, 帳 referred to military and ceremonial tents — portable cloth enclosures used in war camps, rituals, and processions.

They symbolized authority and sanctuary: the tent of a general or ruler was both command center and sacred enclosure.

「設帷帳以聽政。」

“He set up the tented curtain to hear matters of state.” — Book of Rites (禮記).

In Buddhist and Daoist texts, 帳 often appears in the compound 帳幕, referring to sacred curtains enclosing holy images or altars — a symbol of reverence and mystery.

The metaphor of the curtain (帳) also entered literature to denote privacy, intimacy, or separation, as in “the lady’s curtain” (香帳) or “behind the curtain” (帷帳之內).

「帳中香氣，夢裏春風。」

“Fragrance within the curtain, spring breeze within the dream.”

Later, as written records replaced textile scrolls, the character came to signify registers and ledgers — originally cloth sheets used for documentation — giving rise to the financial sense of “account.”

帳 embodies both concealment and order. It covers and shelters, yet also organizes and records. Whether as a tent enclosing life or a book recording deeds, 帳 serves as the boundary between chaos and structure.

「帳能蔽風塵，亦能記人事。」

“The curtain shields from dust and wind, and the ledger records human affairs.”

It thus represents both protection and accountability — what hides and what preserves.

帳 teaches the balance between privacy and responsibility:

to create sacred space by drawing boundaries, yet also to record truth within them.

「帳垂而靜，心明而清。」

“When the curtain hangs still, the heart becomes clear.”

Hence, 帳 stands as a symbol of shelter, reflection, and remembrance —

the fabric that both veils and reveals the life it encloses.

To distinguish meanings, later variants developed:

賬 (U+8CEC) — “account, ledger,” formed by adding 貝 (조개 패, ‘money’) to indicate value or finance.

Simplified in Chinese as 账, used exclusively for “financial account.”

帳 — retained primarily for fabric-based meanings: tents, curtains, and enclosures.

Thus,

帳幕 / 蚊帳 - tents, coverings.

賬簿 / 賬號 - accounts, financial records.