tōng
jiǎ

technical

Meaning of 通假

通假 means to use interchangeably (of Chinese characters with similar or identical pronunciation in classical texts); to borrow a character for its sound value. Pronounced tōng jiǎ.

  • to use interchangeably (of Chinese characters with similar or identical pronunciation in classical texts); to borrow a character for its sound value

Definitions & Examples

Hàn
zhōng
 "
Zǎo
 "
cháng
tōng
 "
Zǎo
 "
 

In classical Chinese, the character "zao" (flea) was often used interchangeably for "zao" (early).

 "
Xìn
 "
tōng
 "
Shēn
 "
shì
cháng
jiàn
de
tōng
jiǎ
xiàn
xiàng
 

The use of "xin" for "shen" (to stretch) is a common example of character interchangeability.

Tōng
jiǎ
shì
yán
jiū
dài
wén
xiàn
de
zhòng
yào
gài
niàn
 

Interchangeable characters are an important concept for studying ancient texts.

Relations

Synonyms