業

業 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+9, 13 strokes, cangjie input 廿金廿木 (TCTD), four-corner 3290₄, composition ⿱业𦍎)

• 㒒, 㗼, 嶫, 㡤, 擈, 澲, 䧨, 曗, 檏, 㸁, 㸣, 礏, 䌜, 𨭥, 𩑃, 驜, 𩼋
• 𪴨, 𠄅, 鄴, 㱉, 鸈, 嶪

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 541, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 15170
• Dae Jaweon: page 928, character 14
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1247, character 7
• Unihan data for U+696D

 

Wikipedia has an article on:

• 業

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

Various explanations exist:

• Pictogram (象形) – beam from which bells and chimes hang.^[1]
• Pictogram (象形) – a person lifting said beam.^[2]
• Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 丵 (“chisel”) + 大 (“person; big”) – to launch a great attack.^[3]

Up until the Warring States period, the character was written doubled as 𪴨 and sometimes as 𫨱. The latter is a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) using 去 (the original form of 盍 (OC *ɡaːb)) as a phonetic component. In bamboo slips the vertical stroke of 丵 extended such that the bottom looks like 木.

work; achievement

Etymology not clear.

large; terrific

Cognate with 巖 (OC *ŋraːm) (Schuessler, 2007). See 嚴 for more.

業

1. profession; business; trade

   農業／农业  ―  nóngyè  ―  agriculture

   商業／商业  ―  shāngyè  ―  business; commerce; trade

   行業／行业  ―  hángyè  ―  industry; profession

2. merits and achievements; work

   功業／功业  ―  gōngyè  ―  merits and achievements

3. course of study

   學業／学业  ―  xuéyè  ―  studies

   畢業／毕业  ―  bìyè  ―  to graduate

4. property; estate

   家業／家业  ―  jiāyè  ―  family property

5. ^† lofty; large

   • 戎車既駕，四牡業業。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     戎车既驾，四牡业业。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Róng chē jì jià, sì mǔ yèyè. [Pinyin]

     His war carriage is yoked; The four steeds are lofty.

6. (Buddhism) karma
7. (literary) already

   • 修正「少年事件處理法部分條文」，業經總統於中華民國108年6月19日以華總一義字第10800062201號令公布。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     修正「少年事件处理法部分条文」，业经总统于中华民国108年6月19日以华总一义字第10800062201号令公布。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 修正「少年事件處理法部分條文」，業經總統於中華民國108年6月19日以華總一義字第10800062201號令公布。, Judicial Yuan R.O.C., 19th June, 2019

     Xiūzhèng “shàonián shìjiàn chùlǐ fǎ bùfēn tiáowén”, yè jīng zǒngtǒng yú zhōnghuámínguó 108 nián 6 yuè 19 rì yǐ huázǒngyīyì zì dì 10800062201 hào lìng gōngbù. [Pinyin]

     Amended partial articles of Juvenile Justice Act have been already announced by The President with Decree No. 10800062201 of 華總一義字 on June 19, the 108th year of R.O.C. Era (2019).

8. (literary) to engage in (a job or work)
9. (historical) ornamental wooden board, carved into a sawtooth shape, on top of the horizontal beam of the frame on which bells, drums, and other instruments hang

   alt. forms: 㸣 (yè)

   See also: 簨

10. (Hokkien) busy and laborious (causing sadness and distress)

• “業”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. work, business, task, profession
2. vocation
3. arts
4. performance

• Go-on: ごう (gō, Jōyō)^{←ごふ (gofu, historical)}
• Kan-on: ぎょう (gyō, Jōyō)^{←げふ (gefu, historical)}
• Kun: なり (nari, 業)、わざ (waza, 業, Jōyō)
• Nanori: のぶ (nobu)

/ɡepu/ → /ɡefu/ → /ɡeu/ → /ɡjoː/

From Middle Chinese 業 (MC ngjaep). The kan'on, so likely a later borrowing.

• (Tokyo) ぎょー [gyóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɡʲo̞ː]

業(ぎょう) • (gyō) ^{←げふ (gefu)?}

1. work, task, business: the job at hand
2. profession, business, trade: what one does to earn a living
3. studies, scholarship ("being a scholar"), the arts

   医(い)科(か)の業(ぎょう)に着(ちゃく)手(しゅ)する

   ika no gyō ni chakushu suru

   set to studying medicine, start one's medical studies

• 業(ぎょう)は道(みち)に依(よ)って賢(かしこ)し (gyō wa michi ni yotte kashikoshi): the ones doing it are the experts
• 業(ぎょう)を創(はじ)め、統(とう)を垂(た)る (gyō o hajime, tō o taru): a man of virtue builds up his skills, and then passes them on to those who come after

/ɡopu/ → /ɡofu/ → /ɡou/ → /ɡoː/

From Middle Chinese 業 (MC ngjaep). The goon, so likely an earlier borrowing. Translation from the Sanskrit term कर्मन् (kárman, “act, action, performance”).

• (Tokyo) ごー [góꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɡo̞ː]

業(ごう) • (gō) ^{←ごふ (gofu)?}

1. (Buddhism) karma
2. sin, misdeed
3. abbreviation of 業腹 (gōhara): resentment, resentful

• 業(ごう)が深(ふか)い (gō ga fukai): to be deeply sinful
• 業(ごう)が煮(に)える (gō ga nieru), 業(ごう)が煎(い)れる (gō ga ireru), 業(ごう)が湧(わ)く (gō ga waku): to be irritated, to be annoyed, to get angry
• 業(ごう)を煮(に)やす (gō o niyasu), 業(ごう)を沸(わ)かす (gō o wakasu): to lose one's temper, to fly off the handle
• 業(ごう)に沈(しず)む (gō ni shizumu): to sink into sin and despair
• 業(ごう)の風(かぜ) (gō no kaze): the powerful winds of sin that blow in hell
• 業(ごう)の秤(はかり) (gō no hakari): a mythological scale that weighs the sins of the dead
• 業(ごう)を曝(さら)す (gō o sarasu): to endure shame in this life as karma for sins committed in a previous life

• 業(ごう)によりて果(か)を引(ひ)く (gō ni yorite ka o hiku): you reap what you sow, what goes around comes around

業(ごう) • (Gō) 

1. a male given name

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.^[4]

Derived as the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 業る (naru, “to earn a living”). Ultimately of same origin as verb なる (naru, “to become”).^[5]

• IPA^(key): [na̠ɾʲi]

業(なり) • (nari) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) a living, a job, what one does to earn a living

From Old Japanese. Found in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.^[6]

• 技

• (Tokyo) わざ [wàzáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1][2][3]
• IPA^(key): [β̞a̠za̠]

業(わざ) • (waza) 

1. a work of great significance or intent
2. an intentional act or action
3. (Buddhism) a Buddhist memorial service
4. one's job, occupation, profession
5. a matter or affair: implies a complication or problem

   容(よう)易(い)な業(わざ)ではありませんよ。

   Yōi na waza de wa arimasen yo.

   It's no easy matter, I tell you.

6. a technique, a means of doing something

   業(わざ)を磨(みが)く

   waza o migaku

   polish one's technique

7. a move or technique in sumo, judo, kendo, or other competitive activity
8. a disaster, misfortune, calamity

• (intentional act): 態(わざ)と (waza to): intentionally, deliberately