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I have seen some sites attributing「セキ」to 関 as in:

  * <https://jisho.org/search/%E9%96%A2>
  * <https://yuki19925704.com/igo-seki/> (scroll to section that talks about 囲碁の「セキ」の語源)

However, the classic term in Chinese is 持 and I saw this word being mentioned
in:

  * <https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%8C%81%E7%A2%81>
  * <https://www.ntkr.co.jp/igoyogo/yogo_497.html>
  * <https://ouc.daishodai.ac.jp/files/ams_labo/publication/bulletin/%5BPDF%EF%BC%9A414KB%5D.pdf>

I am curious about two things:

  1. does セキ actually have ties with any of classic Chinese terms such as 関 or 持?
  2. or perhaps セキ is a Japanese invention that just happened to become more commonly used?

**Additional References**

  * [Wiki about セキ](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%BB%E3%82%AD_\(%E5%9B%B2%E7%A2%81\))
  * [English Wiki about セキ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Go_terms#Seki)
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2022-10-28T19:21:09.327
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2022-10-28T21:10:36.430
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question
kanji etymology
Origin of 「セキ」 when used in game of go 碁
The [関 entry in Kotobank](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%96%A2-86733) is backed
by a version of the 日本国語大辞典【にほんこくごだいじてん】 that doesn't include as much detail
as my local copy, which includes this bit about the etymology:

> (動詞【どうし】「せく(塞)」の名詞化【めいしか】で、「堰(せき)」と同語源【どうごげん】)  
>  (Nominalization of verb _seku_ [塞く, "to narrow and close off"], cognate
> with 堰 [ _seki_ , "dam"])

The very first sense line seems applicable to the usage for Go:

> ① 物事【ものごと】をささえとめること。また、そのもの。へだて。  
>  (1) To close off and stop something. Or, the closing or stoppage. Barrier.

The oldest citation for this sense is the
[伊勢物語【いせものがたり】](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E5%8B%A2%E7%89%A9%E8%AA%9E),
i.e. [_The Tales of Ise_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tales_of_Ise),
dated to some time after 880. This doesn't make any specific mention of the
game of Go, but the definition seems very fitting for the sense used in the
game: basically, "a blockage, an impasse".
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answer