黃泉

See also: 黄泉

Chinese

	yellow	fountain; spring
trad. (黃泉)	黃	泉
simp. (黄泉)	黄	泉
Literally: “yellow spring”.

Etymology

According to Chinese folklore, water appears yellow in color when it is underground. This became representative of the underworld due to its location under the earth and the practice of burial in Chinese culture.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): huángquán

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wong⁴ cyun⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): vòng-chhièn / vòng-chhàn
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hông-choân

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: huángquán
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: huángcyuán
  - Wade–Giles: huang²-chʻüan²
  - Yale: hwáng-chywán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwangchyuan
  - Palladius: хуанцюань (xuancjuanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    皇權 / 皇权
    黃泉 / 黄泉
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: wong⁴ cyun⁴
  - Yale: wòhng chyùhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁴ tsyn⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: wong⁴ qun⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vòng-chhièn / vòng-chhàn
  - Hakka Romanization System: vong^ˇ qien^ˇ / vong^ˇ can^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vong² qian² / vong² can²
  - Sinological IPA: /voŋ¹¹ t͡sʰi̯en¹¹/, /voŋ¹¹ t͡sʰan¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vòng-chhièn
  - Hakka Romanization System: vong^ˇ qien^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vong² qian²
  - Sinological IPA: /voŋ¹¹ t͡sʰi̯en¹¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông-choân
  - Tâi-lô: hông-tsuân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hongzoaan
  - IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² t͡suan²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻²² t͡suan²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ¹³⁻²² t͡suan¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡suan²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³⁻³³ t͡suan²³/

Middle Chinese: hwang dzjwen

Rime
Character	黃	泉
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	唐 (102)	仙 (78)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	胡光切	疾緣切
Baxter	hwang	dzjwen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦwɑŋ/	/d͡ziuᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/d͡zʷiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zjuæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwaŋ/	/d͡zwian/
Li Rong	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡ziuɛn/
Wang Li	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zĭwɛn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣwɑŋ/	/d͡zʱi̯wɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huáng	quán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong⁴	cyun⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*N-kʷˤaŋ s-N-ɢʷar/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɡʷaːŋ sɡʷen/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	黃	泉
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	huáng	quán
Middle Chinese	‹ hwang ›	‹ dzjwen ›
Old Chinese	/*N-kʷˁaŋ/	/*s-N-ɢʷar/ (MC I!)
English	yellow	spring, source
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	黃	泉
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	5380	10728
Phonetic component	黄	泉
Rime group	陽	元
Rime subdivision	0	2
Corresponding MC rime	黃	全
Old Chinese	/*ɡʷaːŋ/	/*sɡʷen/
Notes	甲金文象繫市（韍）之圍腰綬帶，取唐蘭釋黃爲衡綬但不取其尪本字說。非光聲

Noun

黃泉

underground spring
- 夫蚓，上食槁壤，下飲黃泉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  夫蚓，上食槁壤，下饮黄泉。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE
  Fú yǐn, shàng shí gǎorǎng, xià yǐn huángquán. [Pinyin]
  Now, an earthworm eats the dry mould above, and drinks the yellow spring below.
(figuratively, dated) underworld; the land of the dead
- 不及黃泉，無相見也！ [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
  不及黄泉，无相见也！ [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]
  From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE
  Bù jí huángquán, wú xiàngjiàn yě! [Pinyin]
  May we not meet again till death!

Synonyms

(underworld): (figuratively, euphemism, colloquial, jocular) 老家 (lǎojiā), 陰間／阴间 (yīnjiān), (dated) 地府 (dìfǔ)

Derived terms

上窮碧落下黃泉 / 上穷碧落下黄泉 (shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán)
命喪黃泉 / 命丧黄泉
碧落黃泉 / 碧落黄泉
黃泉路 / 黄泉路 (huángquánlù)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (黃泉):

→ Japanese: 黄(こう)泉(せん) (kōsen)
→ Korean: 황천(黃泉) (hwangcheon)
→ Vietnamese: hoàng tuyền (黃泉)

Others:

→ Vietnamese: suối vàng (calque)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
黃	泉
こう Jinmeiyō	せん Grade: 6
kan'on

Kanji in this term
黃	泉
よみ
Jinmeiyō	Grade: 6
jukujikun

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

【黄泉よも】	[noun] (Shinto, archaic) the land of the dead; the afterworld, underworld
【黄泉よみ】	[noun] (Shinto) the land of the dead; the afterworld, underworld
【黄泉よみじ】	[noun] alternative spelling of 黄泉路 (yomiji): the road to the land of the dead; by extension, the underworld itself Alternative spelling 黄泉路
【黄泉こうせん】	[noun] an underground spring [noun] the underworld, the land of the dead

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

Korean

Hanja in this term
黃	泉

Noun

黃泉 • (hwangcheon) (hangeul 황천)

hanja form^? of 황천 (“underworld”)

Old Japanese

Etymology

From Proto-Japonic *yəməy.

The kanji spelling is an orthographic borrowing from Middle Chinese 黃泉 (MC hwang dzjwen, literally “yellow springs”), incorporating the underworld from Chinese mythology.

Noun

黃泉 (*yo₂mi₂) (kana よみ)

(Shinto mythology) the land of the dead, afterworld, underworld

Coordinate terms

葦原の中つ國 (asipara no₂ nakatukuni)
高天原 (takama no₂ para)

Derived terms

黃泉つ (yo₂mo₂ tu)
蘇る (yo₂mi₂gape₁ru)
黃泉路 (yo₂mi₂di)

Descendants

Japanese: 黄泉 (yomi)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
黃	泉

Noun

黃泉

chữ Hán form of hoàng tuyền (“underworld”)