賴

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

貝 (조개 패) — semantic component, indicating value or transaction (as in money or trust).

束 (묶을 속) — phonetic component, giving the sound lai and connoting binding or tying together.

Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「賴，負也。从貝，束聲。」

“賴 means to be indebted; composed of 貝 (valuables) and 束 (phonetic).”

Thus, the original sense was “to be bound or indebted because of value”, from which the extended meanings of rely, depend, or trust later developed.

Semantic development:

Original meaning: to be indebted or bound (in obligation).

Extended meaning: to rely on, to depend upon (trusting connection).

Moral sense: gratitude and acknowledgment of dependence (especially in Confucian writings).

Modern sense: to trust, to rely, or to commission (through the compound 依賴).

Over time, 賴 shifted from implying being indebted or tied by obligation to expressing trust and reliance born of relationship.

依賴 (의뢰 / 의지) — to depend upon, rely on

信賴 (신뢰) — to trust, to have confidence in

賴以 (뢰이) — to depend upon for (formal literary usage)

賴恩 (뢰은) — to be indebted to someone’s grace

倚賴 (의뢰) — to lean upon, rely on

無賴 (무뢰) — literally “without reliance,” but idiomatically “rogue, ruffian”

In classical Confucian and Daoist thought, 賴 often implies mutual interdependence within moral order (仁義之賴) — that one’s existence and success rely upon the support of others and of Heaven (天).

《書經》 (“Book of Documents”):

「民惟邦本，本固邦寧，賴之以成。」

“The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace — upon them we rely for completion.”

Hence, 賴 connotes both dependence and gratitude, recognizing that human virtue and prosperity are sustained through relationships.

《孟子》 (Mencius, 盡心上):

「賴之以生。」

“We depend upon it for life.”

In classical usage, 賴 could mean to depend on, to owe, or to be blessed by something or someone.

In Buddhist and later literary writings, it also expresses reliance on spiritual power, as in:

「賴佛力，得度生死。」 — “Relying on the Buddha’s power, one transcends life and death.”

Symbolic interpretation:

賴 symbolizes the bond of reliance — trust that binds persons together, like cords around valuables.

Originally representing a debt of obligation, it came to signify mutual dependence grounded in trust.

「人之相賴，如根與土；失一則亡。」

“People rely on one another as roots rely on soil — if one is lost, both perish.”

Hence, 賴 captures the Confucian ideal that human life flourishes through reciprocal trust (信) and moral dependence (賴).

It is the core character in 依賴 (의뢰) and 信賴 (신뢰), symbolizing the ethical connection of trust between individuals.