般

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

舟 (배 주) — semantic component, meaning “boat” or “vessel,” referring to movement or transport.

殳 (몽둥이 수) — phonetic component, giving the sound bān and connoting an action (to strike, to move).

舟 + 殳 → 般

literally “to move a boat by striking or pushing,” hence “to carry” or “to move.”

From this original sense of “movement”, the meaning broadened metaphorically to “turning”, “transference”, and later “type” or “class”, reflecting categories of movement or manner.

一般 (일반) — general, common, universal

搬般 (반반) — to transport, to move

樣般 (양반) — appearance, type, manner

諸般 (제반) — all kinds, various

百般 (백반) — in every possible way

萬般 (만반) — all sorts, in every respect

般若 (반야) — prajñā (Buddhist term for “wisdom”)

船般 (선반) — ship or vessel (archaic compound)

In classical Chinese thought, 般 represents the diversity of existence within unity — “the ten thousand kinds (萬般)” that arise from one principle (一理).

萬般皆由心起。

“All kinds of things arise from the mind” — Chan Buddhist saying

Here, 般 signifies the multiplicity of appearances generated by a single mind or principle.

In Buddhist texts, 般 appears in the transliteration 般若 (반야, bōrě / prajñā) meaning transcendent wisdom.

Though semantically unrelated to “kind,” its phonetic value made it suitable for this sacred transliteration, later becoming one of the most theologically significant terms in East Asian Buddhism.

般若波羅蜜多 (반야바라밀다) — “Perfection of Wisdom,” the insight that sees through all forms and distinctions.

Thus, 般 in this context symbolizes movement beyond multiplicity into the unity of wisdom.

Writers used 般 to evoke the idea of infinite variety or graceful movement, as in “wind turning,” “waves rolling,” or “emotions shifting.”

心如波般，無常而妙。

“The heart, like waves, ever-changing yet wondrous.”