四海

Chinese

		four	ocean; sea
simp. and trad. (四海)		四	海
Literally: “the four seas”.

Etymology

In Ancient China, it was thought that China was surrounded by ocean on all four sides. Eventually, this phrase came to mean "all four directions" or "everywhere."

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sìhǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sei³ hoi²
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): si-hói
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sìr-hái / sù-hái

  (Teochew, Peng'im): si³ hai²

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ¹sy₅-he

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sìhǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìhhǎi
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴-hai³
    • Yale: sz̀-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhhae
    • Palladius: сыхай (syxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei³ hoi²
    • Yale: sei hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi³ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ hɔːi̯³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: si-hói
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi hoi`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi⁴ hoi³
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁵⁵ hoi̯³¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sìr-hái
    • Tâi-lô: sìr-hái
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ hai⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sù-hái
    • Tâi-lô: sù-hái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: suo'hae
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /su²¹⁻⁴¹ hai⁴¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /su¹¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su²¹⁻⁵³ hai⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si³ hai²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sì hái
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si²¹³⁻⁵⁵ hai⁵²⁻²¹/
• Wu
  • (Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ¹sy₅-he
    • MiniDict: sy^去 he
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /sz̩⁴⁴ he/

Noun

四海

1. (literary, figurative) the world; the whole world

Synonyms

• 世 (shì) (literary, or in compounds)
• 世界 (shìjiè)
• 區宇／区宇 (qūyǔ) (literary, figurative)
• 四國／四国 (sìguó) (literary)
• 域中 (yùzhōng) (literary)
• 天下 (tiānxià) (literary, figurative)
• 天跤下 (Hokkien, figurative)
• 宇內／宇内 (yǔnèi) (literary, figurative)
• 薄海 (bóhǎi) (literary, figurative)

 

Derived terms

• 五洲四海
• 五湖四海 (wǔhúsìhǎi)
• 名揚四海／名扬四海
• 四海一家 (sìhǎi yījiā)
• 四海之內皆兄弟／四海之内皆兄弟 (sìhǎi zhī nèi jiē xiōngdì)
• 四海承風／四海承风
• 四海昇平／四海升平
• 四海歸心／四海归心
• 四海為家／四海为家 (sìhǎiwéijiā)
• 四海稱臣／四海称臣
• 四海鼎沸
• 放之四海而皆準／放之四海而皆准 (fàng zhī sìhǎi ér jiē zhǔn)
• 目空四海
• 眼空四海
• 縱橫四海／纵横四海

 

Adjective

四海

1. (Suzhounese) generous; magnanimous

Synonyms

• 大方 (dàfāng)
• 慷慨 (kāngkǎi)
• (Hokkien) 大派, 冇手, 看手, 闊手／阔手