西藏

Chinese

	west	phonetic
trad. (西藏)	西	藏
simp. ^#(西藏)	西	藏
2nd round simp.	西䒙

Etymology

First attested in the late 16th century, in Ming dynasty official documents. 西 (xī, “west”) denotes the location of Tibet relative to the Qinghai Lake, while 藏 (Zàng) is a shortening of 烏思藏／乌思藏 (Wūsīzàng, “Ü-Tsang”), which was borrowed from Tibetan དབུས་གཙང (dbus gtsang) (Li, 2016).

Manchu ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳ
ᡯᠠᠩ (wargi dzang, “Ü-Tsang; Tibet”, literally “west dzang”) appears to be a calque of 西藏 (Li, 2018).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): Xīzàng

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄗㄤˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): sai¹ zong⁶
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): Sî-chhong

(Hailu, HRS): si^ˋ cong^˖

(Meixian, Guangdong): xi¹ cong⁴
Eastern Min (BUC): Să̤-câung
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): se¹ zorng⁵
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): Se-chōng

(Teochew, Peng'im): sai¹ zang⁶
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-zaon₆

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Xīzàng
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄗㄤˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: Sizàng
  - Wade–Giles: Hsi¹-tsang⁴
  - Yale: Syī-dzàng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shitzanq
  - Palladius: Сицзан (Siczan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sɑŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: sai¹ zong⁶
  - Yale: sāi johng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sai¹ dzong⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: sei¹ zong⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːŋ²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sî-chhong
  - Hakka Romanization System: xi^ˊ cong
  - Hagfa Pinyim: xi¹ cong⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /si²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰoŋ⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: si^ˋ cong^˖
  - Sinological IPA: /si⁵³ t͡sʰoŋ³³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: xi¹ cong⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ɕi⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɔŋ⁵³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: Să̤-câung
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(t͡s-)ʒɑuŋ²⁴²/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: se¹ zorng⁵ [Phonetic: se² lorng⁵]
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: Sa̤-cō̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬe⁵³³⁻¹³ ^(t͡s-)lɒŋ¹¹/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: se¹ zorng⁵ [Phonetic: se² lorng⁵]
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬe⁵⁴⁴⁻²⁴ ^(t͡s-)lɒŋ²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Se-chōng
  - Tâi-lô: Se-tsōng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sezong
  - IPA (Xiamen): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /se³³ t͡sɔŋ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: sai¹ zang⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sai tsăng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sai³³⁻²³ t͡saŋ³⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹shi-zaon₆
  - MiniDict: shi^平 zaon^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-zaan₃
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ zɑ̃²¹/

Proper noun

西藏

Tibet (a geographic region in Central Asia, the homeland of the Tibetan people)
- 1575, 蔡汝賢, (Please provide the book title or journal name); quoted in 明神宗顯皇帝實錄, (Please provide a date or year):
  
  蓋許之建寺，則西藏一路往來自繇；聽之奉佛，則南北諸番交通無禁，彼黠虜豈真有從善之念哉？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  盖许之建寺，则西藏一路往来自繇；听之奉佛，则南北诸番交通无禁，彼黠虏岂真有从善之念哉？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  Gài xǔ zhī jiàn sì, zé Xīzàng yī lù wǎnglái zìyóu; tīng zhī fèng fó, zé nánběi zhū fān jiāotōng wú jìn, bǐ xiálǔ qǐ zhēn yǒu cóngshàn zhī niàn zāi? [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- c. 1590s, 鄭洛, 敬陳備禦海虜事宜以弭後患疏; quoted in 皇明經世文編, 1638:
  
  自虜款以後，番虜交通，各僧就近取道海上，直赴西藏。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  自虏款以后，番虏交通，各僧就近取道海上，直赴西藏。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  Zì lǔ kuǎn yǐhòu, fān lǔ jiāotōng, gè sēng jiùjìn qǔdào hǎi shàng, zhí fù Xīzàng. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
- 北踰瀚海，西絶羌荒，青海、厄魯特、西藏、準噶爾之地咸入版圖。 [MSC, trad.]
  北逾瀚海，西绝羌荒，青海、厄鲁特、西藏、准噶尔之地咸入版图。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1764, 欽定大清會典
  Běi yú Hànhǎi, xī jué Qiāng huāng, Qīnghǎi, Èlǔtè, Xīzàng, Zhǔngá'ěr zhī dì xián rù bǎntú. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
(～自治區, formerly ～地方) Tibet (an autonomous region of China)

Synonyms

(older names) 蕃 (fán), 土蕃, 吐蕃 (Tǔbō, Tǔfān)
(Tibet (cultural area)): 藏區／藏区 (Zàngqū), 藏地 (Zàngdì), 圖博／图博 (Túbó)

Derived terms

西藏地方
西藏自治區 / 西藏自治区 (Xīzàng Zìzhìqū)
西藏路 (Xīzànglù)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (西藏):

→ Japanese: 西蔵(せいぞう) (Seizō)
→ Korean: 서장(西藏) (Seojang)
→ Vietnamese: Tây Tạng (西藏)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
西	藏
せい Grade: 2	ぞう Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 西藏 – see the following entry.

【西蔵せいぞう】	[proper noun] (rare) synonym of チベット (Chibetto, “Tibet”); Xizang
【西蔵チベット】	[proper noun] rare spelling of チベット (“Tibet”)

(This term, 西藏, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏 • (Seojang) (hangeul 서장)

hanja form^? of 서장 :
1. Tibet (a geographic region in Central Asia, the homeland of the Tibetan people)
2. Tibet (an autonomous region of China)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏

chữ Hán form of Tây Tạng:
1. Tibet (a geographic region in Central Asia, the homeland of the Tibetan people)
2. Tibet (an autonomous region of China)