滄海桑田

Chinese

	vast ocean; large ocean	mulberry plantation
trad. (滄海桑田)	滄海	桑田
simp. (沧海桑田)	沧海	桑田
anagram	桑田滄海／桑田沧海
Literally: “the vast sea (turned into) mulberry fields”.

Etymology

Originally 東海桑田／东海桑田 (literally “East China sea becoming mulberry fields”). From Shenxian Zhuan (神仙傳·麻姑):

麻姑自說云：「接待以來，已見東海三為桑田。向到蓬萊，水又淺于往者會時略半也。豈將復還為陵陸乎。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

麻姑自说云：「接待以来，已见东海三为桑田。向到蓬莱，水又浅于往者会时略半也。岂将复还为陵陆乎。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Mágū zì shuō yún: “Jiēdài yǐlái, yǐ jiàn Dōnghǎi sān wèi sāngtián. Xiàng dào Pénglái, shuǐ yòu qiǎn yú wǎngzhě huì shí lüè bàn yě. Qǐ jiāng fùhái wèi líng lù hū.”

Magu said: "Since we met last time, I have seen the East China Sea turned into mulberry fields thrice. When I visited Penglai Island just now, I saw that the water was shallower than half of it was when we met. Is it going to turn into land again?"

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): cānghǎisāngtián

(Zhuyin): ㄘㄤㄏㄞˇ ㄙㄤㄊㄧㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): cong¹ hoi² song¹ tin⁴
Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): cang¹ hai² seng¹ cang⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: cānghǎisāngtián
  - Zhuyin: ㄘㄤㄏㄞˇ ㄙㄤㄊㄧㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: canghǎisangtián
  - Wade–Giles: tsʻang¹-hai³-sang¹-tʻien²
  - Yale: tsāng-hǎi-sāng-tyán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsanghaesangtyan
  - Palladius: цанхайсантянь (canxajsantjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: cong¹ hoi² song¹ tin⁴
  - Yale: chōng hói sōng tìhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsong¹ hoi² song¹ tin⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: cong¹ hoi² song¹ tin⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹/
Southern Min
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: cang¹ hai² seng¹ cang⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshang hái sṳng tshâng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaŋ³³⁻²³ hai⁵² sɯŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰaŋ⁵⁵/

Middle Chinese: tshang xojX sang den

Rime
Character	滄	海	桑	田
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	清 (14)	曉 (32)	心 (16)	定 (7)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)	咍 (41)	唐 (101)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	I	IV
Fanqie	七岡切	呼改切	息郎切	徒年切
Baxter	tshang	xojX	sang	den
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/hʌi^X/	/sɑŋ/	/den/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/həi^X/	/sɑŋ/	/den/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/xɒi^X/	/sɑŋ/	/dɛn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰaŋ/	/həj^X/	/saŋ/	/dɛn/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/xᴀi^X/	/sɑŋ/	/den/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/xɒi^X/	/sɑŋ/	/dien/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑŋ/	/xɑ̆i^X/	/sɑŋ/	/dʱien/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cāng	hǎi	sāng	tián
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cong¹	hoi²	song¹	tin⁴

Idiom

滄海桑田

time brings drastic changes to the world; the vicissitudes of life

Synonyms

(short form) 滄桑／沧桑 (cāngsāng)
桑田滄海／桑田沧海 (sāngtiáncānghǎi)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (滄海桑田):

→ Japanese: 滄海桑田(そうかいそうでん) (sōkaisōden)
→ Korean: 창해상전(滄海桑田) (changhaesangjeon)
→ Vietnamese: thương hải tang điền (滄海桑田)

Others:

→ Vietnamese: bể dâu (calque)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
滄	海	桑	田
そう Hyōgai	かい Grade: 2	そう Grade: S	でん Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
滄海桑田 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From 滄海 (“vast ocean”) +‎ 桑田 (“mulberry plantations”). Borrowed from Chinese 滄海桑田 / 沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián), literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) そーかいそーでん (Nakadaka – )^[1]
IPA^(key):

Idiom

滄(そう)海(かい)桑(そう)田(でん) • (sōkaisōden) ^{←さうかいさうでん (saukaisauden)^?}

(figuratively) drastic changes in the world

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

滄海桑田

Chinese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Idiom

Synonyms

Descendants

Japanese

Etymology

Pronunciation

Idiom

See also

References

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia