霸

Originally: the waxing or waning phase of the moon, later extended to mean supreme leader or “he who holds power over others.”

Hence used both astronomically (“crescent moon”) and politically (“sovereign power, hegemony”).

Phono-semantic compound:

月 (달 월) — semantic component, indicating relation to the moon and time cycles.

䨣 (비에 젖은 가죽 박) — phonetic component, providing sound bà and associated with wetness or saturation, symbolizing heaviness or fullness.

Thus 月 + 䨣 → 霸, originally meaning the full or returning phase of the moon, later extended to “to dominate” or “to preside over.”

According to Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「霸，露也。从雨䩗聲。」

“霸 means moisture or exposure; composed of 雨 (‘rain’) with phonetic 䩗.”

This description reflects an early semantic link to the lunar and seasonal cycles, later metaphorically associated with supremacy.

In bronze inscriptions (金文 jinwen) of the Western Zhou period, the form first appears as a calendar term, not as a political title.

Semantic evolution:

Astronomical: phase of the moon (crescent).

Temporal: division of months (as in 旣生霸, 旣死霸).

Political: leader who dominates others — “hegemony.”

Moral-philosophical: “霸道” — rule by force (as opposed to 王道, rule by virtue).

Historical development and readings:

In Shang dynasty records, 霸 does not occur; it first appears in Western Zhou bronze inscriptions, suggesting Zhou coinage.

During Zhou, months were divided into four quarters rather than three (as in the Shang system). The terms were:

初吉 (early auspicious)

既生霸 (when the crescent is born)

既望 (full moon)

既死霸 (when the crescent dies)

Hence, 霸 originally denoted the waxing and waning moon, akin to 魄 (백, moon-soul).

In Shangshu (尚書) and ritual texts, phrases such as 旣生魄 and 旣死魄 parallel 旣生霸 and 旣死霸, showing that 魄 and 霸 were interchangeable.

Phonetic readings differ by sense:

陌韻 (普伯切) — “백,” the lunar meaning.

禡韻 (必駕切) — “패,” the dominant or sovereign meaning.

The Korean reading 패 derives from the latter.

The alternate reading 파 (본음) is also attested, with 패 being a later analogical form influenced by vowel shifts (蟹攝 assimilation).

覇權 (패권) — supremacy; hegemony

覇者 (패자) — overlord; the dominant ruler

覇道 (패도) — the way of domination (opposed to 王道, “the way of moral rule”)

覇業 (패업) — enterprise of conquest; hegemonic achievement

覇氣 (패기) — spirit of dominance; ambition

覇王 (패왕) — overlord; title used for powerful rulers, esp. Xiang Yu (項羽)

Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, vol. 1324):

「霸，諸侯有德者稱霸。」

“霸 is the title of a feudal lord who unites others through virtue (or power).”

Zuo Commentary (左傳 · 僖公二十八年):

「尊王攘夷，諸侯歸之，故稱霸。」

“He upheld the king and repelled the barbarians; the lords submitted to him—thus he was called hegemon (霸)” — first canonical use of 霸 for the Spring and Autumn Hegemons.

Shangshu (尚書 · 洪範):

「天作高山，民作之君；天生烝民，有物有則，民之秉彝，好是懿德，天之生民也，作之君，作之師，惟曰其助上帝寵之四方，以明德。」

(Later glossed by commentators to associate 霸 with mandate of Heaven’s favor in rulership.)

Cultural and linguistic notes:

In the Spring and Autumn era, the title 霸主 (패주) became institutionalized for lords (like Duke Huan of Qi, 齊桓公) who “protected the Zhou king” yet ruled by military strength.

Later, 霸道 (Way of the Hegemon) and 王道 (Way of the King) became central contrasts in Confucian political philosophy — the former coercive, the latter benevolent.

In philosophy, it contrasts with 王道 — rule by force versus rule by virtue — encapsulating the eternal dialectic between power and moral order in East Asian thought.

The term survives metaphorically:

패권주의 (覇權主義) — hegemonism.

패자부활 (覇者復活) — “the return of the champion.”

覇 — with 覀 radical; widely used in Japan and Korea as the standard modern form.

壩, 罵 — related phonetic series (same 禡-rhyme derivation).