本

本 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 木一 (DM), four-corner 5023₀, composition ⿻木一)

• 体, 呠, 𡊖, 㤓, 𢫆, 泍, 𠄯, 𪰐, 𪱻, 㶱, 𤙃, 𦚄, 𤱙, 𬑊, 𭿸, 砵, 𧙄, 𬖓, 絊, 缽, 𫯐, 𬇸, 𧦹, 𧿾, 躰, 鉢(钵), 𭝯, 䬱, 𩢕, 骵, 䱁(𫚏), 𬬌
• 𭯓, 𪼹, 𮟄, 翉, 𩒅, 𡭦, 𡿶, 苯, 𥥑, 𦊚, 笨, 𦤎, 𤧆, 𦱧, 𬡩, 𦏓, 𭕕, 㡷, 𤵳, 𪊜, 𪎝, 𩇶, 㮺, 𡇐, 𣽵, 𣒬, 𣕢, 𡽒, 𬟰, 𫖐, 𣌃

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 509, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14421
• Dae Jaweon: page 891, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1151, character 1
• Unihan data for U+672C

• 本 on Wikidata.Wikidata

Historical forms of the character 本
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogram (指事) : a tree (木) with its bottom highlighted with an extra stroke, accentuating the roots; contrast 末, 朱.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(b/p)ul (“root; stump; tree”) (STEDT). Cognate with Mizo bul (“cause; beginning; root; stump”), Jingpho phun (“tree; bush; stalk; wood”), Garo bol (“tree”).This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term. Schuessler 2007

本

1. (of plants) root; stem

   • 為君子擇蔥薤，則絕其本末。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     为君子择葱薤，则绝其本末。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Wèi jūnzǐ zé cōng xiè, zé jué qí běnmò. [Pinyin]

     In selecting an onion or scallion for a gentleman, they cut off both the root and top.

   • 枝大於本，脛大於股，不折必披。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     枝大于本，胫大于股，不折必披。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Zhī dà yú běn, jìng dà yú gǔ, bù zhé bì pī. [Pinyin]

     When the branch is larger than the stem, or the shin is larger than the thigh, if it does not fall off, it will surely crack.

2. source; origin; root

   努力工作是成功之本。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Nǔlì gōngzuò shì chénggōng zhī běn. [Pinyin]

   Hard work is the ultimate source of success.

3. foundation; basis

   謙遜是美德之本。 [MSC, trad.]
   谦逊是美德之本。 [MSC, simp.]

   Qiānxùn shì měidé zhī běn. [Pinyin]

   Humility is the foundation of all virtue.

   • 君子務本，本立而道生。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子务本，本立而道生。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Jūnzǐ wù běn, běn lì ér dào shēng. [Pinyin]

     The noble man strives for the foundational; once the foundations are established, the Way is born.

4. edition; version; copy

   標點本／标点本  ―  biāodiǎn běn  ―  punctuated edition

   宋本  ―  sòng běn  ―  Song-era edition

5. originally; initially

   • 我本天上鳥，常留五彩雲。今宵風雨惡，誤落野鳥群。 [Korean Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: 《與訪客詰拒》 by Kim Byeong'yeon (金炳淵), 1800s

     A bon cheonsang jo, sang ryu osaeg un. Geumso pung'u ak, orak yajo gun. [Sino-Korean]

     I am originally a bird of the heavens, always staying amid the five-hued clouds. Tonight the rain and gusts were harsh, and I slipped and fell into this flock of wild birds.

6. current; present

   本年  ―  běnnián  ―  current year

   本財政年度的全部投資預算已用完。 [MSC, trad.]
   本财政年度的全部投资预算已用完。 [MSC, simp.]

   Běn cáizhèng nián dù de quánbù tóuzī yùsuàn yǐ yòngwán. [Pinyin]

   We have already used up our total investment budget for the current fiscal year.

7. this; here; this very

   本人  ―  běnrén  ―  I [lit. this person]

   戲精本精／戏精本精  ―  xìjīng běn jīng  ―  drama queen him/herself

   本函下面所示系Y先生的簽名。 [MSC, trad.]
   本函下面所示系Y先生的签名。 [MSC, simp.]

   Běn hán xiàmiàn suǒ shì xì Y xiānshēng de qiānmíng. [Pinyin]

   You will find the signature of Mr. Y. at the foot hereof.

8. capital (money used in investment)
9. Classifier for books, periodicals, files. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

   一本書／一本书  ―  yī běn shū  ―  a book

   一本雜誌／一本杂志  ―  yī běn zázhì  ―  a magazine

   一本冊／一本册 [Hokkien]  ―  chi̍t pún chheh [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  a book

10. volume
11. (Korean Classical Chinese) ancestral seat of a descent group

• (classifier):

• 末

Others:

• → Thai: พื้น (pʉ́ʉn, “foundation, floor”)
• → Vietnamese: vốn

• “Entry #1664”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.