掛一漏萬

Chinese

		to hang; to put up; to suspend	one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	funnel; to leak; to let out funnel; to leak; to let out; to divulge	ten thousand; a great number; surname
trad. (掛一漏萬)		掛	一	漏	萬
simp. (挂一漏万)		挂	一	漏	万
alternative forms		挂一漏萬
Literally: “to touch on one and miss out ten thousand”.

Etymology

From a poem by Han Yu:

團辭試提挈，掛一念萬漏。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

团辞试提挈，挂一念万漏。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: 806, 韓愈,《南山詩》

Tuán cí shì tíqiè, guà yī niàn wàn lòu. [Pinyin]

I try to gather words, sketching the grandeur [of the South Mountain],
Yet one thought grasped, ten thousand lost.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): guàyīlòuwàn

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄚˋ ㄧㄌㄡˋ ㄨㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gwaa³ jat¹ lau⁶ maan⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: guàyīlòuwàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄚˋ ㄧㄌㄡˋ ㄨㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: guàyilòuwàn
  - Wade–Giles: kua⁴-i¹-lou⁴-wan⁴
  - Yale: gwà-yī-lòu-wàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guahilowwann
  - Palladius: гуаилоувань (guailouvanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯ä⁵¹ i⁵⁵ loʊ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ wän⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: gwaa³ jat¹ lau⁶ maan⁶
  - Yale: gwa yāt lauh maahn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gwaa³ jat⁷ lau⁶ maan⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: gua³ yed¹ leo⁶ man⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷaː³³ jɐt̚⁵ lɐu̯²² maːn²²/

Middle Chinese: kweaH 'jit luwH mjonH

Rime
Character	掛	一	漏	萬
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	影 (34)	來 (37)	明 (4)
Final (韻)	佳 (32)	質 (48)	侯 (137)	元 (66)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open	Open	Closed
Division (等)	II	III	I	III
Fanqie	古賣切	於悉切	盧候切	無販切
Baxter	kweaH	'jit	luwH	mjonH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kˠuɛ^H/	/ʔiɪt̚/	/ləu^H/	/mʉɐn^H/
Pan Wuyun	/kʷᵚæ^H/	/ʔit̚/	/ləu^H/	/mʷiɐn^H/
Shao Rongfen	/kuæi^H/	/ʔjet̚/	/ləu^H/	/miuɐn^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwaɨj^H/	/ʔit̚/	/ləw^H/	/muan^H/
Li Rong	/kuɛ^H/	/ʔiĕt̚/	/lu^H/	/miuɐn^H/
Wang Li	/kwai^H/	/ĭĕt̚/	/ləu^H/	/mĭwɐn^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kwai^H/	/ʔi̯ĕt̚/	/lə̯u^H/	/mi̯wɐn^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	guà	yi	lòu	wàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gwaai³	jat¹	lau⁶	maan⁶

Idiom

掛一漏萬

(humble) to be inexhaustive; to leave many important items out
- 掛一漏萬，知所不免。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  挂一漏万，知所不免。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 9 April 1898, Ma Jianzhong, preface to Wentong
  Guàyīlòuwàn, zhī suǒ bù miǎn. [Pinyin]
  I know this work is inevitably far from being exhaustive.