code · ceremony

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 典 concerns standards or established models and has the on-reading てん.
• Basic usage: 典型(てんけい) means a representative type; 典 also appears in reference-book terms such as 辞典 and 事典.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Two reference books with the same reading
  • 辞典 and 事典 are both read じてん. 辞典 focuses on language information such as meanings and readings, while 事典 focuses on information about subjects or things, such as plants or animals.