according to ...; ... says
Archaic quotative adverb used to introduce a statement attributed to someone, often with a respectful or ironic tone. Equivalent to modern 曰く (いわく) but with a more classical, honorific flavor. Typically used in literary or historical contexts.
See also: 曰く
Confucius says, "A mistake not corrected is what is called a mistake."
The teacher says there is no royal road to learning.
Variant spelling with okurigana; less common than 曰く.
Alternate kanji spelling using 宣; very rare.
Derived from the classical respectful verb 宣ふ (のたまう) meaning 'to say' (honorific), combined with the archaic quotative suffix く. The form のたまわく is the 未然形 (irrealis) of のたまう plus く, functioning as an adverbial phrase.