白駒過隙

See also: 白驹过隙

Chinese

		white colt; person of intelligence and integrity; recluse	to cross; to go over; (experienced action marker) to cross; to go over; (experienced action marker); to pass; to celebrate; to live; to get along; excessively; too-	crack; occasion for dislike
trad. (白駒過隙)		白駒	過	隙
simp. (白驹过隙)		白驹	过	隙
alternative forms		白駒過郤／白驹过郤
Literally: “(the amount of time it takes for) a white colt to pass by a crevice”.

Etymology

From Zhuangzi:

人生天地之間，若白駒之過郤，忽然而已。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]

人生天地之间，若白驹之过郤，忽然而已。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

Rénshēng tiāndì zhī jiān, ruò báijū zhī guò xì, hūrán ér yǐ. [Pinyin]

That human beings live between heaven and earth is similar to a white colt's bolting past a crevice; it is but an instant.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): báijūguòxì

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ ㄐㄩㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): baak⁶ keoi¹ gwo³ kwik¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: báijūguòxì
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ ㄐㄩㄍㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: báijyuguòsì
  - Wade–Giles: pai²-chü¹-kuo⁴-hsi⁴
  - Yale: bái-jyū-gwò-syì
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bairjiuguohshih
  - Palladius: байцзюйгоси (bajczjujgosi)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵ t͡ɕy⁵⁵ ku̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: baak⁶ keoi¹ gwo³ kwik¹
  - Yale: baahk kēui gwo kwīk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹ koey¹ gwo³ kwik⁷
  - Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶ kêu¹ guo³ kuig¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /paːk̚² kʰɵy̯⁵⁵ kʷɔː³³ kʷʰɪk̚⁵/

Middle Chinese: baek kju kwa|kwaH khjaek

Rime
Character	白	駒	過	過	隙
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/2	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	並 (3)	見 (28)	見 (28)	見 (28)	溪 (29)
Final (韻)	陌 (113)	虞 (24)	戈 (95)	戈 (95)	陌 (115)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed	Closed	Closed	Open
Division (等)	II	III	I	I	III
Fanqie	傍陌切	舉朱切	古禾切	古卧切	綺戟切
Baxter	baek	kju	kwa	kwaH	khjaek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bˠæk̚/	/kɨo/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰˠiæk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/bᵚak̚/	/kio/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰᵚiak̚/
Shao Rongfen	/bak̚/	/kio/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰiak̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/baɨjk̚/	/kuə̆/	/kwa/	/kwa^H/	/kʰiajk̚/
Li Rong	/bɐk̚/	/kio/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰiɐk̚/
Wang Li	/bɐk̚/	/kĭu/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰĭɐk̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱɐk̚/	/ki̯u/	/kuɑ/	/kuɑ^H/	/kʰiɐk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bó	jū	guō	guò	qi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bak⁶	geoi¹	gwo¹	gwo³	hik¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*braːɡ ko kloːl|kloːls kʰraɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	白	過	過	過	隙
Reading #	1/1	1/3	2/3	3/3	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	bái	guō	guō	guò	xì
Middle Chinese	‹ bæk ›	‹ kwa ›	‹ kwa ›	‹ kwa^H ›	‹ khjæk ›
Old Chinese	/*bˁrak/	/*Cə.kʷˁaj/	/*kʷˁaj/	/*kʷˁaj-s/	/*[k]ʰrak/
English	white	tough, fibrous (vegetables)	to pass	to pass; transgress	crack (n.)
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	白	駒	過	過	隙
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/2	2/2	1/1
No.	207	7094	4362	4371	13441
Phonetic component	白	句	冎	冎	隙
Rime group	鐸	侯	歌	歌	鐸
Rime subdivision	0	0	3	3	0
Corresponding MC rime	白	拘	戈		隙
Old Chinese	/*braːɡ/	/*ko/	/*kloːl/	/*kloːls/	/*kʰraɡ/
Notes					本象山隙縫透射日光，或省阜

Idiom

白駒過隙

swiftness of the lapse of time; fleeting of time; in the twinkling of an eye

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (白駒過隙):

→ Korean: 백구과극(白駒過隙) (baekgugwageuk)
→ Vietnamese: bạch câu quá khích (白駒過隙)

Others:

Japanese: 白駒(はっく)隙(げき)を過(す)ぐ (hakku geki o sugu)