てふ

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See also: でふ and でぶ

Japanese

Etymology 1

/to iɸu/ → /teɸu/ → */tewu/ → /teu/ → /t͡ɕeu/ → /t͡ɕoː/

Shift from classical phrase と言ふ (to iu), in modern orthography と言う (to iu).

Compare the development of Middle Chinese-derived pronunciations such as 蝶 (chō, “butterfly”).

Phrase

てふ • (chō) ←てふ (tefu)?

  1. (poetic archaic, obsolete) Short for と言う (to iu):
    1. used in spoken attributions: they say...
      • 1205, Shin Kokin Wakashū (book 3, poem 175, also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 2)
        春(はる)過(す)ぎて夏(なつ)来(き)にけらし白妙(しろたへ)の衣(ころも)ほすてふ天(あま)の香具(かぐ)山(やま)
        haru sugite natsu kinikerashi shirotae no koromo hosu chō Ama no Kaguyama
        As spring passes and summer just around the corner, they say magnificently white robes for drying at heavenly mount Kagu.
    2. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
      • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 11, poem 519)
        しのぶれば苦(くる)しきものを人(ひと)知(し)れず思(おも)ふてふこと誰(たれ)にかたらむ
        shinobureba kurushiki mono o hito shirezu omou chō koto tare ni kataran
        Hiding this painful feeling to that certain someone, to whom should I talk about this pondering?
      • c. 1005–07, Shūi Wakashū (book 11, poem 621; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 41)
        恋(こひ)すてふわが名(な)はまだき立(たち)にけり人(ひと)知(し)れずこそ思(おも)ひそめしか
        koisu chō waga na wa madaki tachinikeri hito shirezu koso omoisomeshika
        About longing: my self stood up just a while back when they asked, “Who are you thinking of?”
    3. indicates apposition: who is..., also known as...
Conjugation
Classical conjugation of "てふ" (ハ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形) -
Continuative (連用形) -
Terminal (終止形) てふ tefu
Attributive (連体形) てふ tefu
Realis (已然形) てへ tefe
Imperative (命令形) てへ tefe
Key constructions
Negative -
Contrasting conjunction -
Causal conjunction -
Conditional conjunction -
Past tense (firsthand knowledge) -
Past tense (secondhand knowledge) -
Perfect tense (conscious action) -
Perfect tense (natural event) -
Perfect-continuative tense てへり teferi
Adverbial -
Volitional -
See also

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of てふ – see the following entries.
【蝶ちょう】J
a butterfly (insect)
Alternative spelling
チョウ
(This term, てふ (tefu), is a historical kana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as てふ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as てふ.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 牒, 貼.)

Etymology 3

Proper noun

てふ • (Tefu) 

  1. a female given name

てふ • (Chō) 

  1. a unisex given name
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