四方

Chinese

		four	square; quadrilateral; place square; quadrilateral; place; region; direction; side; method; way; prescription; power; upright; just
simp. and trad. (四方)		四	方

Pronunciation 1

Rime
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	陽 (106)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	息利切	府良切
Baxter	sijH	pjang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siɪH/	/pʉɐŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/siH/	/pʷiɐŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/sjɪH/	/piuɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siH/	/puaŋ/
Li Rong	/siH/	/piuaŋ/
Wang Li	/siH/	/pĭwaŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/siH/	/piwaŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sì	fāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si3	fong1

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì	fāng
Middle Chinese	‹ sijH ›	‹ pjang ›
Old Chinese	/*s.li[j]-s/	/*C-paŋ/
English	four	square
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	12022	3023
Phonetic component	四	方
Rime group	至	陽
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	四	方
Old Chinese	/*hljids/	/*paŋ/
Notes		甲金文象槳即榜初文， 下初爲單筆，猶旂左初亦作單杆

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sìfāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄈㄤ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sei³ fong¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): si-fông
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sì-hng / sìr-hng / sù-hong

  (Teochew, Peng'im): si³ huang¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sìfāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄈㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìhfang
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴-fang¹
    • Yale: sz̀-fāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhfang
    • Palladius: сыфан (syfan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei³ fong¹
    • Yale: sei fōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ fong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi³ fong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ fɔːŋ⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: si-fông
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi fong^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi⁴ fong¹
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁵⁵ foŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sì-hng
    • Tâi-lô: sì-hng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sie'hngf
    • IPA (Taipei): /si¹¹⁻⁵³ hŋ̍⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /si²¹⁻⁵³ hŋ̍⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /si²¹⁻⁴¹ hŋ̍⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sìr-hng
    • Tâi-lô: sìr-hng
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ hŋ̍³³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sù-hong
    • Tâi-lô: sù-hong
    • Phofsit Daibuun: suo'hofng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /su²¹⁻⁴¹ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /su¹¹⁻⁵³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su²¹⁻⁵³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si³ huang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sì huang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ huaŋ³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: sijH pjang

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.li[j]-s  C-paŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hljids  paŋ/

Noun

四方

1. (literally) the four directions (north, south, east and west)

   • 酒酣，高祖擊筑，自為歌詩曰：「大風起兮雲飛揚，威加海內兮歸故鄉，安得猛士兮守四方？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     酒酣，高祖击筑，自为歌诗曰：「大风起兮云飞扬，威加海内兮归故乡，安得猛士兮守四方？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Jiǔ hān, Gāozǔ jī zhù, zìwéi gēshī yuē: “Dàfēng qǐ xī yún fēiyáng, wēi jiā hǎinèi xī guī gùxiāng, ān dé měngshì xī shǒu sìfāng?” [Pinyin]

     Having drunken liquor to his heart's content, Gaozu plucked the zhu and composed himself an ode: “A great wind came forth, the clouds rose on high. Now that my might rules all within the seas, I have returned to my old village. Where will I find brave men to guard the four corners of my land?”

2. (figuratively) everywhere; far and wide
   • 2020, “月光暝”, 高以德 (lyrics), 吳靜慧 (music)‎performed by 蔡秋鳳 [Kerris Tsai]:

     月光光照四方　甘會凍照入你心門 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
     月光光照四方　甘会冻照入你心门 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]

     goe̍h kng-kng chiò sì-hng, kám ē-tàng chiò ji̍p lí sim-mn̂g [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     The moon brightly shines far and wide; can it shine through the door of your heart?

Synonyms

• (everywhere): 各地 (gèdì)

Derived terms

• 四方八面 (sìfāngbāmiàn)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (四方):

• → Japanese: 四(し)方(ほう) (shihō)
• → Korean: 사방(四方) (sabang)
• → Vietnamese: tứ phương (四方)

See also

• 八方 (bāfāng)
• 十方 (shífāng)

Proper noun

四方

1. The Quad (anti-China alliance comprising of the United States, Japan, Australia and India)

Pronunciation 2

Rime
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	陽 (106)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	息利切	府良切
Baxter	sijH	pjang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siɪH/	/pʉɐŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/siH/	/pʷiɐŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/sjɪH/	/piuɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siH/	/puaŋ/
Li Rong	/siH/	/piuaŋ/
Wang Li	/siH/	/pĭwaŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/siH/	/piwaŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sì	fāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si3	fong1

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì	fāng
Middle Chinese	‹ sijH ›	‹ pjang ›
Old Chinese	/*s.li[j]-s/	/*C-paŋ/
English	four	square
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	四	方
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	12022	3023
Phonetic component	四	方
Rime group	至	陽
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	四	方
Old Chinese	/*hljids/	/*paŋ/
Notes		甲金文象槳即榜初文， 下初爲單筆，猶旂左初亦作單杆

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sìfāng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄈㄤ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): sei³ fong¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhu¹ fong¹

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): si-fông
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sì-hng / sìr-hng / sù-hong / sì-pang

  (Teochew, Peng'im): si³ bang¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sìfāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄈㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìhfang
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴-fang¹
    • Yale: sz̀-fāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhfang
    • Palladius: сыфан (syfan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ fɑŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei³ fong¹
    • Yale: sei fōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ fong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi³ fong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ fɔːŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: lhu¹ fong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬu³³ fɔŋ³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: si-fông
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi fong^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi⁴ fong¹
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁵⁵ foŋ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sì-hng
    • Tâi-lô: sì-hng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sie'hngf
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /si²¹⁻⁵³ hŋ̍⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sìr-hng
    • Tâi-lô: sìr-hng
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ hŋ̍³³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sù-hong
    • Tâi-lô: sù-hong
    • Phofsit Daibuun: suo'hofng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /su²¹⁻⁴¹ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /su¹¹⁻⁵³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su²¹⁻⁵³ hɔŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: dated in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sì-pang
    • Tâi-lô: sì-pang
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sie'pafng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /si²¹⁻⁴¹ paŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /si¹¹⁻⁵³ paŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si³ bang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sì pang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ paŋ³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: sijH pjang

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.li[j]-s  C-paŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hljids  paŋ/

Adjective

四方

1. (attributive) square; cube; cubic

Derived terms

• 四方城
• 四方帽 (sìfāngmào)
• 四方木——踢一踢，喐一喐
• 四方步 (sìfāngbù)
• 四方聯／四方联
• 四方臉／四方脸

 

Japanese

Kanji in this term
四	方
し Grade: 1	ほう Grade: 2
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɕiho̞ː]

Noun

四(し)方(ほう) • (shihō) 

1. (in) all directions, everywhere

Derived terms

• 四方(しほう)八方(はっぽう) (shihō happō)

Korean

Hanja in this term
四	方

Noun

四方 • (sabang) (hangeul 사방)

1. hanja form^? of 사방 (“in all directions, everywhere”)