𐰋𐰃𐰠𐰏
bilig
Meaning:
knowledge; wisdom; understanding; consciousness
In Old Uyghur Buddhist texts, bilig also renders Sanskrit vijñāna, a technical term for consciousness, including the consciousness aggregate.
The form bilik also occurs in several Turkic languages (Azerbaijani Turkish bilik, Anatolian Turkish bilik, Turkmen bilik, Uzbek bilik, Kazakh bilik, Southern Altai bilik, Tatar/Bashkir belek) with the same or a closely related meaning. However, while the change of final -g to -k is regular in Chagatai, it is not a general Turkic sound law. These forms need not share the same historical development; some may reflect later borrowings or independent formations rather than direct inheritance. Cf. the discussions under qışlağ, yaylağ and kiçig.
Examples
Translations
German:
Wissen; Weisheit; Verstand; Bewusstsein
Russian:
знание; мудрость; разум; сознание
Turkish (Azerbaijan):
bilik; ağıl; şüur
Turkish (Türkiye):
bilgi; bilgelik; akıl; bilinç
Bibliography 2
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Dr. Jens Wilkens (2021) Handwörterbuch des Altuigurischen | Eski Uygurcanın El Sözlüğüpp. 173b–174a, entry ¹biligpp. 173b–174a, entry ¹bilig
¹bilig Wissen, Weisheit || bilgi, bilgelik, hikmet; Verstand || bilgi, akıl; Gelehrsamkeit || âlimlik, bilginlik; Bewusstsein (Skt. vijñāna) || bilinç (Skt. vijñāna); (Wortbildung) Abstraktbildner || (kelime türetme) soyut biçim veren (s./bk. Mo. bilig) bilig aš Bewusstseins-Speise (Skt. vijñānāhāra) || bilinç yemeği (Skt. vijñānāhāra) bilig ärdäm Bildung, Wissenschaft || eğitim, bilim bilig bošgut Wissen und Lehre || bilgi ve öğreti bilig köŋül Verstand und Herz || bilgi ve gönül; Bewusstsein2 (Skt. vijñāna) || bilinç2 (Skt. vijñāna) bilig turugı Verweilort des Bewusstseins (Skt. vijñānasthiti) || bilincin durma yeri (Skt. vijñānasthiti) bilig ügmäk (br) → bilig yügmäk bilig ügmäki das Aggregat Bewusstsein (Skt. vijñānaskandha) || bilinç katışmacı (Skt. vijñānaskandha) bilig yügmäk das Aggregat Bewusstsein (Skt. vijñānaskandha) || bilinç katışmacı (Skt. vijñānaskandha) -
Gerard Clauson (1972) An etimological dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkishp. 339a–b, entry D biliğp. 339a–b, entry D biliğ
D biliğ N.Ac. fr. bil-; ‘knowledge’. Very common in the early period as the standard word for ‘knowledge’, and also in a much wider range of meanings, some of which are very indefinite; the underlying connotation is perhaps ‘mental process’ or the like. In modern times almost completely displaced by other Dev. N.s fr. bil- or l.-w.s, but survives in NE Alt., Tel. pilik R IV 1339; Tuv. biliğ (but Khak. biliş); SE Türki bilik Shaw 56 (but BŞ bilim; Jarring bilmeklik); NC Kzx. bilik exists but bilim preferred (Kir. only bilim); SC Uzb. as for Kzx.; NW Kk. bilik (but also bilim, which alone seems to be used in other NW languages); SW Tkm. as for Kzx.; bilik also exists in one or two xx Anat. dialects SDD 207. See Doerfer II 835. Türkü viii biliğ bilmez kişi: ‘ignorant people’ I S 7, II N 5; anığ biliğ (II biliğin) anta: öyü:r ermiş ‘they must then have thought up evil ideas’ I S 5, II N 4; (my eye which sees has become as if it could not see) bilir biliğim bilmez teğ boltı: ‘my mind(?) which knows has become as if it did not know’ I N 10; a.o. T 6 (but not T 7 where bilig eşi: is a mistranscription of bilgesi:): viii ff. miŋ kişi: yüzi:n biliginçe: bir kişi: a:tı: (sic) biliğ ol ‘compared to knowing a thousand people by sight, (knowing) one man’s reputation is (real) knowledge’ Tun. III a. 4–6 (ETY II 94): Man. anığ yavlak biligin ‘with very evil intentions’ Chuas. 50–1; bilge bilig ‘wisdom’ do. 183; biligimizni köŋülümüzni ‘our minds and thoughts’ do. 184–5; teŋri aymış ötçe biliğçe ‘in accordance with the guidance given to us by God’ do. 326–7; o.o. M III 19, 16 (i) (2 üz), etc.: Uyğ. viii ff. Man.-A bilge bilig M I 23, 3 etc.: Man. bilge bilig TT III 32; in az bilig ‘lust’ and öpke bilig ‘anger’ TT II 16, 26 and 34 bilig is really superfluous but might mean ‘mental process’ or ‘emotion’: Bud. bilig is very common with the same wide range of meanings as in the Man. dialects; it often represents Sanskrit vijñāna ‘consciousness’; see TT VI Index for a long list of usages: Xak. xi bilig al-‘ilm ‘knowledge’; hence one says bilig öğren ta‘allami’l-‘ilm ‘acquire knowledge’: bilig al-hikma ‘wisdom’; hence one says oza:ki: bilge:le:r (sic, correctly) ‘wise men (al-hukamā) of old’: bilig al-‘aql ‘understanding’; hence one says oğla:n biligsüz ‘boys lack understanding’ Kaş. I 385; I 261 (öğret-); II 243, 8 (ük-) and many o.o.: KB bilig is very common with the same wide range of meanings as in Kaş., e.g. 1493 (öğret-): xiii(?) At. bilig ‘knowledge, wisdom, understanding’ is common; Tef. bilig (also bilmek, bilmeklik) ditto 102: (xiv Muh. see biligliğ): Çağ. xv ff. bilig (‘with -ğ’) bilmek ve idrâk (‘understanding’) Vel. 142 (quotns.); bilig ‘ilm wa dāniş ‘knowledge’ (Hend.); and metaph. pand wa ta‘līm wa irşād ‘advice, instruction, guidance’ San. 150r. 5 (quotns.): Xwar. xiv bilig ‘knowledge, wisdom’ Qutb 32; MN 274: Kom. xiv ‘knowledge’ bilik CCG; Gr.: Kip. xiv bili/bilü: (MS. belü:) al-‘ilm İd. 35: Osm. xiv ff. bilü, less often bili ‘knowledge’, etc., is common till xv and occurs till xvii TTS I 99; II 42; III 95; IV 100.
