恆河沙

See also: 恒河沙

Chinese

		Ganges River	granule; hoarse; raspy granule; hoarse; raspy; sand; powder; tsar
trad. (恆河沙)		恆河	沙
simp. (恒河沙)		恒河	沙

Etymology

Calque of Sanskrit गंगा नदी वालुका (gaṃgānadī vālukā, “sand of the Ganges River”).

The current usage as the number 10⁵² was re-imported from the Japanese usage which first fixed by the Jinkōki (塵劫記), 1634.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): hénghéshā

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄥˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄚ
Cantonese (Jyutping): hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: hénghéshā
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄥˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄚ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: hénghésha
  - Wade–Giles: hêng²-ho²-sha¹
  - Yale: héng-hé-shā
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hernghersha
  - Palladius: хэнхэша (xɛnxɛša)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xɤŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹
  - Yale: hàhng hòh sā
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: heng⁴ ho⁴ sa¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐŋ²¹ hɔː²¹ saː⁵⁵/

Middle Chinese: hong ha srae

Rime
Character	恆	河	沙
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	登 (129)	歌 (94)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	II
Fanqie	胡登切	胡歌切	所加切
Baxter	hong	ha	srae
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦɑ/	/ʃˠa/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦɑ/	/ʃᵚa/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦa/	/ʂaɨ/
Li Rong	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Wang Li	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʂa/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	héng	hé	shā
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hang⁴	ho⁴	saa¹

Noun

恆河沙

(etymology, Buddhism) countless number like the total of the grains of sand on the Ganges
Synonyms: 恆河沙數 / 恒河沙数 (hénghéshāshù), 河沙
- 650-661, Bhagavaddharma, transl., Sūtra of the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great-Compassionate Heart of the Thousand-Handed Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara's Dhāraṇī (千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經):
  
  若有謗此咒者，即為謗彼九十九億恆河沙諸佛。 [MSC, trad.]
  若有谤此咒者，即为谤彼九十九亿恒河沙诸佛。 [MSC, simp.]
  Ruò yǒu bàng cǐ zhòu zhě, jí wèi bàng bǐ jiǔshíjiǔyì hénghéshā zhūfó. [Pinyin]
  If there is who slanders this mantra, that is to slander those 9.9 billion times the number of the Ganges river sand, of buddhas.
the number 10⁵²

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (恆河沙):

→ Japanese: 恒(ごう)河(が)沙(しゃ) (gōgasha)
→ Korean: 항하사(恒河沙) (hanghasa)
→ Vietnamese: hằng hà sa (恒河沙)