AI tools

身毒

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Chinese

More information phonetic, trad. (身毒) ...
phonetic
trad. (身毒) 身 毒
simp. #(身毒) 身 毒
Close
Wikipedia has articles on:

Etymology

Transcription of the same Old Persian [script needed] (*Hinduka, “India”) (or its minor variants, such as 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 (hinduš)) as 天竺 (Tiānzhú). It is the oldest of the Chinese names for India, and occurs in Shiji in connection with the mission of Zhang Qian to Daxia.

Using Middle Chinese reconstructions of the two characters in this word (ɕiɪn duok̚) gives the false impression that this is derived from the name of Sindhu (सिन्धु) – the name of the westernmost kingdom of India. Factors making this etymology unlikely include:

  1. Zhang Qian had no direct contact with India or with the Indians. He gathered the name from the people of Daxia which was a pure Iranian zone then under the occupation of Yuezhi;
  2. The choice of an alveolopalatal sibilant ɕ- for a clear dental sibilant s- in the original language; cf. known transcriptions of Sindhu: 新頭 新陶 辛頭 信度, all commencing with a dental sibilant; and
  3. The presence of a final -k in 身毒, as in 天竺.

The ancient Chinese writers have long suggested that shēn in this word had a different pronunciation. Yan Shigu in his commentary to the Hanshu says:

捐毒即身毒、天篤也，本皆一名，語有輕重耳。 [MSC, trad.]
捐毒即身毒、天笃也，本皆一名，语有轻重耳。 [MSC, simp.]
Juāndú jí Yuāndú, Tiāndǔ yě, běn jiē yī míng, yǔ yǒu qīngzhòng ěr. [Pinyin]
Juandu (捐毒), Yuandu (身毒) and Tiandu (天篤) are originally the same name pronounced either lightly or with emphasis.

The variant of Late Old Chinese that Zhang Qian had used showed the dialectal development of Old Chinese 身 *n̥in > *χin ~ hin, explaining the choice of 身 (shēn). This is perhaps comparable to the case of 天 in 天竺 (“India”), also a dialectal Old Chinese variant pronunciation. Modern dictionaries variably designate the proper pronunciation of this word in modern Beijing Mandarin as Juāndú, Yuándú, Yuāndú, but rarely Shēndú as would be pronounced by an unknowledgeable native.

Pronunciation

More information Rime, Character ...
Rime
Character 身 毒
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial (聲) 書 (26) 定 (7)
Final (韻) 眞 (43) 沃 (6)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) III I
Fanqie 失人切 徒沃切
Baxter syin dowk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /ɕiɪn/ /duok̚/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ɕin/ /duok̚/
Shao
Rongfen		 /ɕjen/ /dok̚/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ɕin/ /dawk̚/
Li
Rong		 /ɕiĕn/ /dok̚/
Wang
Li		 /ɕĭĕn/ /duok̚/
Bernhard
Karlgren		 /ɕi̯ĕn/ /dʱuok̚/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 shēn dú
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex		 san1 duk6
Close

Proper noun

身毒

  1. (literary, obsolete) India

Synonyms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (身毒):
  • → Japanese: 身毒(しんどく) (Shindoku)
  • → Korean: 연독(身毒) (Yeondok), 건독(身毒) (Geondok), 신독(身毒) (Sindok)

Japanese

More information Kanji in this term ...
Kanji in this term
身 毒
しん
Grade: 3		 どく
Grade: 5
on'yomi
Close

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 身毒 (MC syin dowk).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

身(しん)毒(どく) • (Shindoku) 

  1. (rare, obsolete) the Chinese term used to refer to India; India

See also

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.