聞

Originally a pictographic and later phono-semantic compound character.

The current form consists of:

耳 (귀 이) — semantic component, indicating the ear or hearing.

門 (문 문) — phonetic component, giving the sound mʷən > mun / wén and symbolizing an opening or gate.

However, early forms show significant variation:

Oracle-bone script (甲骨文): depicts a kneeling person raising a hand to the ear — a direct representation of listening attentively.

Bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen): preserve this image; sometimes the hand and ear are drawn prominently, indicating the gesture of hearing.

Warring States bamboo and silk manuscripts (簡帛文字): often use the alternate form 䎽, combining 耳 (ear) with 昏 (dark) as phonetic.

Seal script (篆書): the form stabilized with 耳 + 門, which became standard in Qin and Han.

聞 (문) — to hear; to listen; to learn; fame

新聞 (신문) — newspaper; news (lit. “new hearing”)

聞名 (문명) — to hear of; renowned

聞見 (문견) — hearing and seeing; experience

聞香 (문향) — to smell fragrance

不聞香臭 (불문향취) — to perceive no scent; idiom for insensitivity

聞所未聞 (문소미문) — “to hear what has never been heard”

聞達 (문달) — to make known; to report to higher authority

博聞 (박문) — well-informed; widely learned

多聞 (다문) — of much learning (lit. “much hearing”)

傳聞 (전문) — hearsay; report

聞者 (문자) — listener; one who hears

In Korean, 聞 retains both literal (to hear) and figurative (to learn, to be known) meanings.

In Chinese, it can also mean to smell (闻香, “to smell fragrance”), while in Japanese, 聞く (kiku) historically covered both to hear and to smell.

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) records:

「聞，聽也，又名譽也。」

“聞 means to hear, and also to denote fame or reputation.”

Hence 聞 spans the semantic field from sensory perception (hearing, smelling) to intellectual reception (learning, understanding) and social recognition (reputation).

In Confucian writings, hearing (聞) symbolizes learning through openness and receptivity.

From the Book of Rites (禮記·學記):

「學然後知不足，教然後知困，知不足則能自反也，知困則能自強也。」

“Only after studying does one realize one’s own deficiency; only after teaching others does one realize one’s own difficulty. When one knows one’s insufficiency, one can reflect upon oneself; when one knows one’s difficulty, one can strengthen oneself.”

This passage expresses the Confucian idea that learning (學) and hearing (聞) are not passive processes — they must lead to self-reflection and moral improvement.

Hence the commentary adds:

「聞而不改，非學也。」

“To hear and not change is not learning.”

That is, knowledge enters through the ear (聞), but true learning requires transformation of character.

For Confucius and his disciples, hearing represented the first stage of wisdom: the willingness to receive, listen, and reform oneself through understanding.

In Buddhist and Daoist writings, 聞 forms part of the triad 문사수(聞思修) — “hearing, reflecting, cultivating,” the three stages of wisdom acquisition.

In classical poetry, 聞 often introduces knowledge received indirectly:

「遙聞流水聲」 — “From afar I hear the sound of flowing water.”

聞 originated from a pictograph of a person cupping the ear to listen, later restructured as a phono-semantic compound combining 耳 (“ear”) and 門 (“gate,” phonetic).

It embodies the act of receiving through perception — hearing, learning, and understanding — and by extension, being heard or known.

In different cultures, it also came to signify smelling or inquiring, uniting all senses of awareness.

Thus, 聞 stands as the classical symbol of attentive perception — the gate through which sound, knowledge, and fame enter the human heart.