枕詞
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Chinese
| pillow | word; phrase; classical Chinese poem | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (枕詞) | 枕 | 詞 | |
| simp. (枕词) | 枕 | 词 | |
Etymology
Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 枕詞 (makura kotoba).
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin:
- Zhuyin: ㄓㄣˇ ㄘˊ
- Tongyong Pinyin: jhěncíh
- Wade–Giles: chên3-tzʻŭ2
- Yale: jěn-tsź
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jeentsyr
- Palladius: чжэньцы (čžɛnʹcy)
- Sinological IPA (key): /ʈ͡ʂən²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡sʰz̩³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese)+
Noun
枕詞
Japanese
| Examples (epithet) |
|---|
|
茜さす (akane sasu) |
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 枕 | 詞 |
| まくら Grade: S |
ことば Grade: 6 |
| kun'yomi | |
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 枕言葉 |
Etymology
Compound of 枕 (makura, “pillow”) + 詞 (kotoba, “word”). The pillow meaning is in reference to the way that makura kotoba in poetry are used as introductions to something else.
Pronunciation
Noun
枕詞 • (makura kotoba)
- (poetry) a pillow word, an epithet, specifically a poetic device where a certain introductory phrase is commonly used to allude to something else, traditionally used in 和歌 (waka, “traditional Japanese poetry”)
- Over time, certain makura kotoba may become full metonyms to replace the term they originally only alluded to, such as the Old Japanese phrase 庭つ鳥 (niwa tsu tori) or "garden bird" replacing the older term 鶏 (kake) to mean "chicken", as in the modern Japanese term 鶏 (niwatori). An example of such a makura kotoba:
- 711–712, Kojiki, poem 2:
- 爾波都登理 迦祁波那久 [Man'yōgana]
- 庭つ鳥 鶏は鳴く [Modern spelling]
- ...niwa tsu tori, kake wa naku...
- ...the garden bird, the chicken clucks...
- Over time, certain makura kotoba may become full metonyms to replace the term they originally only alluded to, such as the Old Japanese phrase 庭つ鳥 (niwa tsu tori) or "garden bird" replacing the older term 鶏 (kake) to mean "chicken", as in the modern Japanese term 鶏 (niwatori). An example of such a makura kotoba:
- (by extension) introductory words
- (literal) a pillow talk
Related terms
Descendants
- → English: pillow word (calque)
- → English: makurakotoba