11
votes
Accepted
The interpretation of a sentence in the Qieyun (切韵) preface
There are many errors in the 百度百科's article you gave, so I show my punctuation of the preface first.
The content comes from the 水巷孑蠻's answer.
1) 昔，開皇初，有儀同劉臻等八人，同詣法言門宿。
2) 夜永酒闌，論及音韻。
3) 以今聲調，...
- 5,896
8
votes
This string of characters: 如力士屈申臂頃
作是念已，如力士屈申臂頃，於兜率天沒，現於佛前，稽首佛足
他有了這個想法後，有如壯漢彎曲再伸直手臂的頃刻，在兜率天隱沒，並出現於佛陀之前，頂禮佛足。
After he had this thought, as fast as a strong man bent and straightened the arm, disappeared in Tuṣita Heaven, appeared in ...
- 1,456
7
votes
Accepted
How did Middle Chinese "hæwk" evolve into Mandarin "xué"?
I'm not an expert on historical Chinese phonology, but this doesn't seem like an uncharacteristically distant sound evolution compared to other words:
Baxter (Zhengzhang
–...
- 679
5
votes
Accepted
Hakka (Sixian dialect) issue: some characters with a rising tone (上聲)
This is a feature of certain Hakka varieties, but there is some controversy. Jerry Norman's 1986 work "What is a 客家 Kèjiā Dialect?" puts it thus:
To determine whether a dialect is Kèjiā or ...
- 6,826
4
votes
Accepted
Is there a way to search by Middle Chinese rime?
Is there a website to search for all known Middle Chinese characters with a given final?
the “middle chinese”, i assumed you are talking about various versions of 切韻, or 廣韻
yes
the “japan society ...
- 16.3k
4
votes
Accepted
What’s the deal with the xing-type readings for 行?
TL;DR: vowel shift + possible colloquial-literary split.
行 has the reading 戸庚切 relevant to this meaning of "to walk", reconstructed as /ɦaɨjŋ/ by Pulleybank and /ɦˠæŋ/ by Zhengzhang. The ...
- 6,826
4
votes
What’s the deal with the xing-type readings for 行?
to start-- there is no official answer, because we don't actually know how middle chinese sounded. we have educated guesses, but its always good to keep in mind that at least some of the world's ...
- 2,596
3
votes
Number of phonemic vowels in Middle Chinese
It seems that OP wants to know the relationship between Shanghainese and Middle Chinese. I recommend reading the book 上海市区方言志 published by 上海教育出版社 in 1988, which has a whole chapter devoted to exactly ...
- 3,873
3
votes
Accepted
What does 流通 mean as a metaphor for Nirvāṇa?
如無為・如是難見・不動・不屈・不死・無漏・覆蔭・洲渚・濟渡・依止・擁護・不流轉・離熾焰・離燒然・流通・清涼・微妙・安隱・無病・無所有・涅槃・亦如是說
the text quoted from 雜阿含經 31 卷, 890th [0224b07]
“洲渚” is islands, islets in a river, used as a metaphor for “asylum”
...
- 16.3k
3
votes
Accepted
What rhyme groups had "light" labial initials (輕唇音) such as 非 in the Yunjing (韻鏡)?
The following answer is a translation and summary from Lin (2013:6-8). This also serves to supplement C.K.'s observation.
Rhymes placed in grade III include eight chongniu rhymes (重紐八韻), ten ...
- 5,625
3
votes
What did Eastern Han Chinese sound like?
The main go-to source is Schuessler's 2009 work Minimal Old Chinese and Later Han Chinese.
As this "Later Han Chinese" is of the 1st century CE, it falls directly in between the Zhou Dynasty's ...
- 6,826
2
votes
Accepted
This string of characters: 如力士屈申臂頃
i'm not dare to make translation of buddhism term, so this answer is mixed with chinese and english.
background:
when "給孤獨長者" died, he reincarnated in 兜率天, as "兜率天子".
he thinks :"i should not stay ...
- 16.3k
2
votes
Is Cantonese a better choice in looking for characters in rime dictionary (韻書)?
Though I emphasize Cantonese here, any southern dialect / language that still have entering tone (入聲); e.G. Hakka and Min, would have a similar scenario.
The oldest rime dictionary (韻書) I found, is ...
- 16.3k
2
votes
The interpretation of a sentence in the Qieyun (切韵) preface
first, the text quoted by baidu has several significant, unbearable errors, beware :(
the original preface of 切韻, by 陸法言; is quoted in 鉅宋廣韻 (printed in 1169), that the national archives of japan has ...
- 16.3k
2
votes
Accepted
"心中" as "in mind"?
It is better to translate it as a full noun phrase such as "the inside of your mind" to help your understanding.
心中 is more of written Chinese.
I bet you found the word 心中 from a song or poem etc ...
- 36
2
votes
What rhyme groups had "light" labial initials (輕唇音) such as 非 in the Yunjing (韻鏡)?
To be short, the labiodentalization took place in ten rhyme groups called the Ten Labiodental Rhymes (輕唇十韻), which is 東(三), 鐘, 微, 虞, 廢, 文, 元, 陽, 尤, 凡. All of them are hekou (合口) except 尤. All of your ...
- 141
2
votes
Accepted
not sure this is chinese, can anyone tell me what it means? I was told it is a symbol for heaven
It should be "天" - sky; heaven; god. Unfortunately, the tattoo artist made it like "夭" - die young.
Note, before getting upset and arguing with the tattoo artist, depending on ...
- 15.1k
1
vote
Accepted
Why are 端母 and 知母 considered as distinct initials in Early Middle Chinese even though they share same 上字's such as 都 or 丁, while 幫母 and 非母 are not?
As we know that 知母 did not exist in Old Chinese. It was later derived from 端母 in Middle Chinese.
The milage that a word differentiating 知母 from 端母 varied in Middle Chinese. Some changed to 知母 in Early ...
- 2,024
1
vote
What is the equivalent in Chinese for निताइ (Sanskrit)?
People in Taiwan describe meditation with the term 冥想.
But it does not specifically refer to your practice, it is just a general term to refer to meditation.
- 1,627
1
vote
Accepted
What is the equivalent in Chinese for निताइ (Sanskrit)?
The word is ni-taa-i in ITRANS notation.
The IAST notation is nitāi.
The meaning is to enter the nature or 進入自然／进入自然 in Chinese.
- 1,328
1
vote
Usage of 何 in Buddhist Hybrid Chinese
"以何" was used in classical chinese roughly as "by (以) which / what (何)".
eg 禮記﹒問喪
或問曰﹒杖者﹒以何為也
三國志﹒董昭傳
問﹒禦以何術
though, it's not 100%, most of this usages were questions.
the verses "以何方便 而受道法 ...
- 16.3k
1
vote
Accepted
What is the function of 所 in 聽吾所說心中所以?
聽吾所說心中所以
"所以" is reason (#4 definition in the below link).
http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/cgi-bin/cbdic/gsweb.cgi?o=dcbdic&searchid=Z00000145637
roughly, i would interpret this verse as:...
- 16.3k
1
vote
"心中" as "in mind"?
you better to add 在 before, like 在心中 to make this a complete phase, and which means in mind
- 127
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