石油

First attested in 1086–1093, in Shen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays, where the oil was used as ink by the author:

黑光如漆，松墨不及也，遂大為之，其識文為「延川石液」者是也。此物後必大行於世，自余始為之。蓋石油至多，生於地中無窮，不若松木有時而竭。

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黑光如漆，松墨不及也，遂大为之，其识文为「延川石液」者是也。此物后必大行于世，自余始为之。盖石油至多，生于地中无穷，不若松木有时而竭。

From: c. 1088 CE, Shen Kuo, Dream Pool Essays

Hēi guāng rú qī, sōngmò bùjí yě, suì dà wéi zhī, qí zhì wén wéi “Yánchuān shí yè” zhě shìyě. Cǐ wù hòu bì dàxíng yú shì, zì yú shǐ wéi zhī. Gài shíyóu zhìduō, shēng yú dì zhōng wúqióng, bùruò sōngmù yǒushí ér jié.

The quality of this kind of ink stick is even better than the one made of pine soot. Hence such ink stick is manufactured in large quantities, “Yanzhou Stone Liquid” being the label carved on its surface. I am the first to make this kind of ink stick and I believe that it will one day become popular, because there is plenty of petroleum in the world gushing from the ground in a steady stream, contrary to the fact that pine trees may sometime be depleted.

Compare petroleum with a nearly identical word-formation.

石油

1. oil; petroleum

   石油鑽塔／石油钻塔  ―  shíyóu zuàntǎ  ―  oil rig

   石油鑽台／石油钻台  ―  shíyóu zuàntái  ―  oil rig

2. (dated or dialectal) kerosene

   • 燈火漸漸地縮小了，在預告石油的已經不多；石油又不是老牌，早熏得燈罩很昏暗。
     灯火渐渐地缩小了，在预告石油的已经不多；石油又不是老牌，早熏得灯罩很昏暗。

     From: 1925, Lu Xun, 《好的故事》, translated by Yang Xianyi & Gladys Yang

     Dēnghuǒ jiànjiàn de suōxiǎo le, zài yùgào shíyóu de yǐjīng bù duō; shíyóu yòu bù shì lǎopái, zǎo xūn de dēngzhào hěn hūn'àn.

     The lamp flame slowly dwindled, a sign that there was not much paraffin left; and the paraffin, which was not of the best brand, had already blackened the chimney with its smoke.

3. (Xiang, dated) petrol

• (kerosene):

• (petrol):

• (Tokyo) せきゆ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

石(せき)油(ゆ) • (sekiyu) 

1. oil, petroleum
2. kerosene

• 原油(げんゆ) (gen'yu, “crude oil”)

• 灯油(とうゆ) (tōyu, “kerosene”)

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

石油 • (seogyu) (hangeul 석유)

1. hanja form^? of 석유 (“petroleum”)