草書

See also: 草书

Chinese

		grass; straw; draft (of a document) grass; straw; draft (of a document); careless; rough; manuscript; hasty	book; letter
trad. (草書)		草	書
simp. (草书)		草	书
Literally: “draft script”.

Chinese calligraphy in the style of cursive script (Dong Qichang, 1603)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cǎoshū

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄠˇ ㄕㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cou² syu¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chhó-sû
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhó-chir / chhó-su / chhó-si / chháu-su

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cǎoshū
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄠˇ ㄕㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cǎoshu
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻao³-shu¹
    • Yale: tsǎu-shū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsaoshu
    • Palladius: цаошу (caošu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂu⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: cou² syu¹
    • Yale: chóu syū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsou² sy¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cou² xu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰou̯³⁵ syː⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhó-sû
    • Hakka Romanization System: co` su´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: co³ su¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰo³¹ su²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhó-chir
    • Tâi-lô: tshó-tsir
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰo⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ t͡sɯ³³/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhó-su
    • Tâi-lô: tshó-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhoysw
    • IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /t͡sʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ su⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhó-si
    • Tâi-lô: tshó-si
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhoysy
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ si⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Penang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chháu-su
    • Tâi-lô: tsháu-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhawsw
    • IPA (Penang): /t͡sʰau⁴⁴⁵⁻³³ su³³/

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• Middle Chinese: tshawX syo

Rime
Character	草	書
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	清 (14)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)	魚 (22)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	采老切	傷魚切
Baxter	tshawX	syo
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕɨʌ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕiɔ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕiɔ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰawX/	/ɕɨə̆/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕiɔ/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕĭo/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑuX/	/ɕi̯wo/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cǎo	shū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cou2	syu1

Noun

草書

1. cursive script
   1. (calligraphy) a Chinese calligraphic style
   2. (by extension) cursive handwriting

Usage notes

Sometimes translated as grass script, mistaking the character 草 (cǎo) as meaning grass, when in fact it refers to writing which is careless; sloppy; hasty, for example the meaning implied in the compound words 潦草 (liáocǎo) and 草率 (cǎoshuài).

Synonyms

• 草字 (cǎozì)
• 草寫／草写 (cǎoxiě)
• 草寫體／草写体 (cǎoxiětǐ)
• 草體／草体 (cǎotǐ)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (草書):

• → Japanese: 草書(そうしょ) (sōsho)
• → Korean: 초서(草書) (choseo)
• → Vietnamese: thảo thư (草書)

See also

• 楷書／楷书 (kǎishū)
• 行書／行书 (xíngshū)
• 雞腸／鸡肠 (jīcháng)

References

• Tones of the Mandarin Dialect are Given in English and Chinese(【英語官話合講】)·字母 Origin of English grass script

Japanese

Kanji in this term
草	書
そう Grade: 1	しょ Grade: 2
on’yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 草書 (MC tshawX syo).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) そーしょ [sòóshó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [so̞ːɕo̞]

Noun

草(そう)書(しょ) • (sōsho) ^{←さうしよ (sausyo)?}

1. grass script (cursive writing)

See also

• 楷書(かいしょ) (kaisho)
• 行書(ぎょうしょ) (gyōsho)

References

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

Korean

Hanja in this term
草	書

Noun

草書 • (choseo) (hangeul 초서)

1. Hanja form^? of 초서 (“grass script”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
草	書

Noun

草書

1. chữ Hán form of thảo thư (“grass script”).