Reconstruction:Proto-Sino-Tibetan/ken ~ m-kjen

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *ken ⪤ mkyen (Coblin, 1986)
  • Proto-Tibeto-Burman: *ken ⪤ *m-kyen (Matisoff, STEDT); *(m-)kyen (Benedict, 1972; Chou, 1972; Coblin, 1986)

For a similar semantic development, compare Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see (⇒ view), to know (⇒ wise)”).

*ken ~ m-kjen

1. to see
2. to know

• Old Chinese:

  見／见 (*kˁen-s (B-S); *keːns (ZS), “to see, to visit”)

  見／见, 現／现 (*ɴ-kˁen-s (B-S); *geːns (ZS), “to appear, to show up”)

  見／见, 現／现 (*m-kˁen-s (B-S); *geːns (ZS), “to cause to appear, to introduce; now”)

  俔／伣 (*ɴ-kˁenʔ (B-S); *kʰeːns, *geːnʔ (ZS), “to look like, look as if”)

  perhaps also

  顯／显 (*qʰˁenʔ (B-S); *ŋ̊eːnʔ (ZS), “to display, to manifest; bright”)

  (見 in the oracle bone script - eye on person)

  • Middle Chinese: 見／见 (kenH, ɦenH), 現／现 (ɦenH), 俔／伣 (kʰenH, ɦenX), 顯／显 (henX)

    → Japanese: 見 (けん, ​ken)
    Korean: 견 (見, gyeon)
    Vietnamese: kiến (見)

    → Japanese: 現 (げん, ​gen)
    Korean: 현 (現, hyeon)
    Vietnamese: hiện (現)

    • Modern Mandarin
      • Beijing: 見／见 (jiàn, /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/), 現／现 (xiàn) (xiàn, /ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/), 俔／伣 (xiàn) (qiàn, /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵¹/), 顯／显 (xiǎn) (xiǎn, /ɕi̯ɛn²¹⁴/)
• Himalayish
  • Tibeto-Kanauri
    • Bodic
      • Tibetan
        • Written Tibetan: མཁྱེན་པ (mkhyen pa, “to know, to comprehend, to cognise; knowledge, wisdom”)

• *mraŋ (“to see”)