自古

Chinese

		from	ancient
simp. and trad. (自古)		自	古

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zìgǔ

(Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ gu²
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): chhṳ-kú

(Hailu, HRS): cii^˖ gu^ˊ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chīr-kó͘ / chū-kó͘

(Teochew, Peng'im): ze⁷ gou²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zìgǔ
  - Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄍㄨˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zìhgǔ
  - Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-ku³
  - Yale: dz̀-gǔ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhguu
  - Palladius: цзыгу (czygu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ ku²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zi⁶ gu²
  - Yale: jih gú
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ gu²
  - Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ gu²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² kuː³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhṳ-kú
  - Hakka Romanization System: cii gu^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ci⁴ gu³
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰɨ⁵⁵ ku³¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: cii^˖ gu^ˊ
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰɨ³³ ku²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chīr-kó͘
  - Tâi-lô: tsīr-kóo
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɯ⁴¹⁻²² kɔ⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū-kó͘
  - Tâi-lô: tsū-kóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zuxkor
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡su³³⁻¹¹ kɔ⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡su³³⁻²¹ kɔ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ kɔ⁵³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ze⁷ gou²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsṳ̄ kóu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɯ¹¹ kou⁵²/

Middle Chinese: dzijH kuX

Rime
Character	自	古
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	從 (15)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	模 (23)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	疾二切	公戸切
Baxter	dzijH	kuX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ziɪ^H/	/kuo^X/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡zi^H/	/kuo^X/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡zjɪ^H/	/ko^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡zi^H/	/kɔ^X/
Li Rong	/d͡zi^H/	/ko^X/
Wang Li	/d͡zi^H/	/ku^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/d͡zʱi^H/	/kuo^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zì	gǔ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi⁶	gu²

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*s.[b]i[t]-s kˤaʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɦljids kaːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	自	古
Reading #	2/2	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zì	gǔ
Middle Chinese	‹ dzij^H ›	‹ ku^X ›
Old Chinese	/*s.[b]i[t]-s/	/*kˁaʔ/
English	to follow; from	ancient
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	自	古
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	17879	4219
Phonetic component	自	古
Rime group	至	魚
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	自	古
Old Chinese	/*ɦljids/	/*kaːʔ/

Adverb

自古

from time immemorial; since ancient times
- 自古皆有死，民無信不立。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  自古皆有死，民无信不立。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE
  Zìgǔ jiē yǒu sǐ, mín wú xìn bù lì. [Pinyin]
  From of old, death has been the lot of all men; but if the people have no faith in their rulers, there is no standing for the state.
- 人生自古誰無死？留取丹心照汗青。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  人生自古谁无死？留取丹心照汗青。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1279, Wen Tianxiang, 《過零丁洋》
  Rénshēng zìgǔ shéi wú sǐ? Liú qǔ dānxīn zhào hànqīng. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

古來 / 古来 (gǔlái) (literary)
古往今来 (gǔwǎngjīnlái)
往古 (literary)
終古 / 终古 (zhōnggǔ) (literary)
自古以來 / 自古以来 (zìgǔ yǐlái)

Derived terms

自古以來 / 自古以来 (zìgǔ yǐlái)
自古皆有死，人無信不立 / 自古皆有死，人无信不立 (zìgǔ jiē yǒu sǐ, rén wúxìnbùlì)
自古皆有死，民無信不立 / 自古皆有死，民无信不立 (zìgǔ jiē yǒu sǐ, mín wúxìnbùlì)
自古紅顏多薄命 / 自古红颜多薄命 (zìgǔ hóngyán duō bómìng)