<p>Not too sure what the question is exactly. "How can I derive this meaning for [sic] (from??) the regular meaning of 偏?" </p>

<p>Don't derive the meaning, look it up!</p>

<p>You can find the regular meanings of <a href="http://www.zdic.net/z/15/js/504F.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">偏 here：</a></p>

<ol start="2">
<li>不全面，不正确：偏爱。偏见。偏激。偏狭。偏执。偏废。偏颇。偏听。偏信。</li>
</ol>

<p>'partial' originally meant 'one-sided, biased （偏颇）‘ then 'not whole, incomplete' </p>

<p>If you want to get the meaning from the character alone, I think that won't work for a great many Chinese characters. </p>

<p>偏：人 + 扁<br>
扁：户 + 冊</p>

<p>For some characters you can pretty much get the meaning from the picture:</p>

<p>集：隹 + 木 = gather (like birds in a tree at dusk)
娶：取 + 女 = marry</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T01:13:05.410Z
"meant 'one-sided, biased （偏颇）‘ then 'not whole, incomplete' " Can you tell me how does "then" come about?
Scripps
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T07:45:15.283Z
Sorry, I was referring to the English word 'partial', not any Chinese words. The meaning of partial changed with time.
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-24T23:56:13.970Z
2019-02-24T23:56:13.970Z
Pedroski
<p>偏's core meaning is 'lean to the side' as in 偏右(lean right) or  偏左 (lean left)</p>

<p>That meaning extended to represent 'away from center' as in 偏僻 (remote/ isolated) and 偏遠 (remote / far away) </p>

<p>Notice: '偏遠地區' (remote area) is referring 'an area that is far away from the center of a country'. Even it is remote, that area is still '<strong>a part of</strong> the <strong>whole</strong> country. Therefore, 偏 also obtained the meaning of 'a part of' (partial) by the virtue of opposing 全(whole)</p>

<p>The idiom "以偏概全" - "generalize the whole by examine only part of it" illustrated 偏 (partial/ incomplete) is the opposite of 全 (whole/complete)</p>

<p>The "away from center" meaning of 偏 further extended to mean "away from the main stream" , therefore  偏 also contains the meaning of 'non-standard' as in 偏方 (deviant prescription)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T05:24:55.100Z
If remote area is a part of the whole therefore it obtained the meaning, how about central area? Central don't have that meaning.
Scripps
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T05:37:25.560Z
@Scripps "偏" opposite "中" . Example:  "central area" (中心地帶) opposite "remote area" (偏遠地帶); "中肯言論" ( unbiased opinion) opposite "偏頗言論" (biased opinion). So, "Central" ( 中 ) does have the extended meaning of "unbiased"; As mentioned before, "偏"  (part) also opposite "全" (whole)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T05:44:44.223Z
**偏**區  (remote area) vs. **全**境 (The whole territory)
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T04:46:45.273Z
2019-02-25T05:48:45.807Z
2019-02-25T05:48:45.807Z
Tang Ho
<p>For example, 偏導數 means partial derivative. But my intuition on this character is inclined and remote. How can I derive this meaning from the regular meaning of 偏?</p>

<p>From 説文解字 I got this</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/lGnLa.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/lGnLa.png" alt="enter image description here"></a>
   (偏) 頗也。頗、頭偏也。引伸爲凡偏之偁。故以頗釋偏。二字雙聲。尙書。無偏無頗。絫言之也。周易翩翩。古文作偏偏。从人。扁聲。芳連切。十二部。</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-24T22:27:56.160Z
*Partial* actually can mean *inclined (towards one side)*. What’s the opposite of an *impartial judge*?
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-25T05:03:10.290Z
偏导数=partial derivative
Zuriel
<characters>
Why 偏 has a meaning of partial?
# Why 偏 has a meaning of partial?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-02-24)

For example, 偏導數 means partial derivative. But my intuition on this character is inclined and remote. How can I derive this meaning from the regular meaning of 偏?

From 説文解字 I got this

> [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/lGnLa.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/lGnLa.png)
> (偏) 頗也。頗、頭偏也。引伸爲凡偏之偁。故以頗釋偏。二字雙聲。尙書。無偏無頗。絫言之也。周易翩翩。古文作偏偏。从人。扁聲。芳連切。十二部。

**Tags:** characters
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: *Partial* actually can mean *inclined (towards one side)*. What’s the opposite of an *impartial judge*?  
> **username_2**: 偏导数=partial derivative  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-02-25. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

偏's core meaning is 'lean to the side' as in 偏右(lean right) or 偏左 (lean left)

That meaning extended to represent 'away from center' as in 偏僻 (remote/ isolated) and 偏遠 (remote / far away)

Notice: '偏遠地區' (remote area) is referring 'an area that is far away from the center of a country'. Even it is remote, that area is still '**a part of** the **whole** country. Therefore, 偏 also obtained the meaning of 'a part of' (partial) by the virtue of opposing 全(whole)

The idiom "以偏概全" - "generalize the whole by examine only part of it" illustrated 偏 (partial/ incomplete) is the opposite of 全 (whole/complete)

The "away from center" meaning of 偏 further extended to mean "away from the main stream" , therefore 偏 also contains the meaning of 'non-standard' as in 偏方 (deviant prescription)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: If remote area is a part of the whole therefore it obtained the meaning, how about central area? Central don't have that meaning.  
> **username_4**: @Scripps "偏" opposite "中" . Example:  "central area" (中心地帶) opposite "remote area" (偏遠地帶); "中肯言論" ( unbiased opinion) opposite "偏頗言論" (biased opinion). So, "Central" ( 中 ) does have the extended meaning of "unbiased"; As mentioned before, "偏"  (part) also opposite "全" (whole)  
> **username_4**: **偏**區  (remote area) vs. **全**境 (The whole territory)  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-02-24. Score: 1

Not too sure what the question is exactly. "How can I derive this meaning for [sic] (from??) the regular meaning of 偏?"

Don't derive the meaning, look it up!

You can find the regular meanings of [偏 here：](http://www.zdic.net/z/15/js/504F.htm)

2. 不全面，不正确：偏爱。偏见。偏激。偏狭。偏执。偏废。偏颇。偏听。偏信。

'partial' originally meant 'one-sided, biased （偏颇）‘ then 'not whole, incomplete'

If you want to get the meaning from the character alone, I think that won't work for a great many Chinese characters.

偏：人 + 扁  
扁：户 + 冊

For some characters you can pretty much get the meaning from the picture:

集：隹 + 木 = gather (like birds in a tree at dusk)
娶：取 + 女 = marry

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: "meant 'one-sided, biased （偏颇）‘ then 'not whole, incomplete' " Can you tell me how does "then" come about?  
> **username_3**: Sorry, I was referring to the English word 'partial', not any Chinese words. The meaning of partial changed with time.  

---

