左右

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Chinese

left right (-hand)
simp. and trad.
(左右)

Pronunciation


Note: zo2 jau6-2 only used in the "about" sense.

Rime
Character
Reading # 1/2 2/2 1/2 2/2
Initial () (13) (13) (35) (35)
Final () (94) (94) (136) (136)
Tone (調) Rising (X) Departing (H) Rising (X) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open Open
Division () I I III III
Fanqie
Baxter tsaX tsaH hjuwX hjuwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /ɦɨuX/ /ɦɨuH/
Pan
Wuyun
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /ɦiuX/ /ɦiuH/
Shao
Rongfen
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /ɣiəuX/ /ɣiəuH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/t͡saX/ /t͡saH/ /ɦuwX/ /ɦuwH/
Li
Rong
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /ɣiuX/ /ɣiuH/
Wang
Li
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /ɣĭəuX/ /ɣĭəuH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/t͡sɑX/ /t͡sɑH/ /i̯ə̯uX/ /i̯ə̯uH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
zuǒ zuò yǒu yòu
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
zo2 zo3 jau5 jau6
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/3 2/3 3/3 1/2 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
zuǒ zuǒ zuǒ yòu yòu
Middle
Chinese
‹ tsaX › ‹ tsaX › ‹ tsaH › ‹ hjuwX › ‹ hjuwH ›
Old
Chinese
/*tsˁaʔ/ /*tsˁaʔ/ /*tsˁarʔ-s/ /*ʷəʔ/ /*ʷəʔ-s/ (~ *m-qʷəʔ)
English left (side) assist assist right hand right hand

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * 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
Reading # 1/2 2/2 1/2 2/2
No. 18004 18006 15597 15604
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1 1 0 0
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*ʔsaːlʔ/ /*ʔsaːls/ /*ɢʷɯʔ/ /*ɢʷɯs/

Noun

左右

  1. left and right
  2. left and right sides; both sides
  3. entourage; retinue; attendants

Postposition

左右

  1. about; or so; or thereabouts; around; approximately
    身高可能左右 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Tā shēngāo kěnéng zài sān mǐ zuǒyòu.
    He was about three meters tall.
    30分鐘左右 [Cantonese, trad.]
    30分钟左右 [Cantonese, simp.]
    saam1 sap6 fan1 zung1 zo2 jau6-2
    about 30 minutes
    估計溫度左右 [MSC, trad.]
    估计温度左右 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ gūjì wēndù dōu zài shí dù zuǒyòu ba.
    I guess the temperature is around ten degrees now.

Synonyms

Verb

左右

  1. to control; to manipulate; to influence

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (左右):

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term

Grade: 1
ゆう
Grade: 1
on'yomi

From () (sa, left) + (ゆう) (, right).

Pronunciation

Noun

()(ゆう) (sayū

  1. left and right
    (おう)(だん)()(どう)(わた)(まえ)()(ゆう)(かく)(にん)する
    Ōdanhodō o wataru mae ni wa, sayū o kakunin suru.
    Check left and right before you cross the road.
  2. both sides
  3. control
  4. influence
Synonyms
Derived terms

Verb

()(ゆう)する (sayū surusuru (stem ()(ゆう) (sayū shi), past ()(ゆう)した (sayū shita))

  1. to sway, to influence
  2. to have under one's control
Conjugation

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
Grade: 1 Grade: 1

Noun

左右(そう) (さう (sau)?

  1. (obsolete) left and right
  2. letter; tidings
    Synonym: 便り (tayori)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
Grade: 1 Grade: 1

Noun

左右(さう) (sau

  1. (obsolete) left and right

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
Grade: 1 Grade: 1
For pronunciation and definitions of 左右 – see the following entry.
とかく
being apt to; being prone to; tending to
(in the form of とかく (tokaku no)) all sorts of (negative things); various
this and that
anyway, anyhow
(idiomatic, Buddhism) things that do not exist; rabbit horns
Alternative spelling
兎角
(This term, 左右, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term

Noun

左右 (jwau) (hangeul 좌우)

  1. hanja form? of 좌우 (left and right)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term

Noun

左右

  1. chữ Hán form of tả hữu (left and right).