鹹水海

Chinese

		salt water	ocean; sea
trad. (鹹水海)		鹹水	海
simp. (咸水海)		咸水	海

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiánshǔihǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): haam⁴ seoi² hoi²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiánshǔihǎi [Phonetic: xiánshúihǎi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siánshuěihǎi
    • Wade–Giles: hsien²-shui³-hai³
    • Yale: syán-shwěi-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyanshoeihae
    • Palladius: сяньшуйхай (sjanʹšujxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn³⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: haam⁴ seoi² hoi²
    • Yale: hàahm séui hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: haam⁴ soey² hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: ham⁴ sêu² hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /haːm²¹ sɵy̯³⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Noun

鹹水海

1. (Buddhism) the salt water ocean (the eighth and the outermost ocean in Buddhist worldview)
2. (Cantonese) sea
   • c. 1963, “釣魚郎”, 唐滌生 [Tang Ti-sheng] (lyrics), performed by 梁醒波 [Leung Sing Poh]:

     鯉魚跳龍門，當然聲價十倍；點知一入咗鹹水海，你落網就永不回。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     鲤鱼跳龙门，当然声价十倍；点知一入咗咸水海，你落网就永不回。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     lei⁵ jyu^4-2 tiu³ lung⁴ mun⁴, dong¹ jin^4-2 sing¹ gaa³ sap⁶ pui⁵; dim² zi¹ jat¹ jap⁶ zo² haam⁴ seoi² hoi², nei⁵ lok⁶ mong⁵ zau⁶ wing⁵ bat¹ wui⁴. [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 周仲芹對張柏淦說：「我哋有麻包袋，不如笠起個女仔，掉佢落鹹水海。」 [Cantonese, trad.]
     周仲芹对张柏淦说：「我哋有麻包袋，不如笠起个女仔，掉佢落咸水海。」 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2009 (?), 香港重案組黃Sir, 山寨探案實錄 2009-03 [1]

     zau¹ zung⁶ kan⁴ deoi³ zoeng¹ paak³ gaam³ syut³: “ngo⁵ dei⁶ jau⁵ maa⁴ baau¹ doi^6-2, bat¹ jyu⁴ lap¹ hei² go³ neoi⁵ zai², deu⁶ keoi⁵ lok⁶ haam⁴ seoi² hoi².” [Jyutping]

     Chau Chung Kan said to Cheung Pak Kam, "We have a burlap sack. What about we put the girl in the bag and throw her into the sea."

   • 她的放生行為卻讓學霸網友們不高興了，指責她“將淡水龜放落鹹水海，反而令烏龜生命面臨威脅”，更罵她無知。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     她的放生行为却让学霸网友们不高兴了，指责她“将淡水龟放落咸水海，反而令乌龟生命面临威胁”，更骂她无知。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015 April 10, 薛凱琪海裏放生巴西龜引熱議 網友罵其無知 為其科普放生知識, in 《美南新聞日報》, page C7

     taa¹ dik¹ fong³ saang¹ hang⁴ wai⁴ koek³ joeng⁶ hok⁶ baa³ mong⁵ jau⁵ mun⁴ bat¹ gou¹ hing³ liu⁵, zi² zaak³ taa¹ “zoeng¹ taam⁵ seoi² gwai¹ fong³ lok⁶ haam⁴ seoi² hoi², faan² ji⁴ ling⁶ wu¹ gwai¹ sang¹ ming⁶ min⁶ lam⁴ wai¹ hip³”, gang³ maa⁶ taa¹ mou⁴ zi¹. [Jyutping]

     Her act of releasing animals to the wild made brainiac netizens unhappy. They criticized her of "putting freshwater turtles into the sea, which would actually threaten the turtles' life", and scolded her for being ignorant.

   • 家裡的人也知道她是跳鹹水海死的，她懷著雅婷小姐的時候整天鬱鬱寡歡，淚流滿臉，滿懷心事。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     家里的人也知道她是跳咸水海死的，她怀著雅婷小姐的时候整天郁郁寡欢，泪流满脸，满怀心事。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2018, 顧日凡, 《錦瑟》, Taipei: 要有光, →ISBN, page 194

     gaa¹ leoi⁵ dik¹ jan⁴ jaa⁵ zi¹ dou³ taa¹ si⁶ tiu³ haam⁴ seoi² hoi² sei² dik¹, taa¹ waai⁴ zoek⁶ ngaa⁵ ting⁴ siu² ze² dik¹ si⁴ hau⁶ zing² tin¹ wat¹ wat¹ gwaa² fun¹, leoi⁶ lau⁴ mun⁵ lim⁵, mun⁵ waai⁴ sam¹ si⁶. [Jyutping]

     Her family also knew she died from jumping into the sea. When she was pregnant with Ms. Nga Ting, she was depressed all day, with tears streaming down her face and worries filling her mind.

3. (Cantonese, figurative) waste (as in go to waste)

   • 「睇波不賭波」，一方面又和馬會天衣無縫地「以身作則」，方便市民落注，把三百萬元公帑拋入鹹水海。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     「睇波不赌波」，一方面又和马会天衣无缝地「以身作则」，方便市民落注，把三百万元公帑抛入咸水海。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2011, 王師奶, 《倒瀉籮蟹的香港教育》, Hong Kong: 明窗出版社, →ISBN, page 41

     “tai² bo¹ bat¹ dou² bo¹”, jat¹ fong¹ min⁶ jau⁶ wo⁴ maa⁵ wui^6-2 tin¹ ji¹ mou⁴ fung⁴ dei⁶ “ji⁵ san¹ zok³ zak¹”, fong¹ bin⁶ si⁵ man⁴ lok⁶ zyu³, baa² saam¹ baak³ maan⁶ jyun⁴ gung¹ tong² paau¹ jap⁶ haam⁴ seoi² hoi². [Jyutping]

     "They watch a soccer match but do not bet on the match"; on the one hand, they would flawlessly "set an example" with the Jockey Club, letting citizens easily place bets, throwing three million dollars of public funds down the drain.

   • 王文彥更指現時買樓等於「揼錢入鹹水海」，不贊成現階段買樓，認為租好過買。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     王文彦更指现时买楼等于「揼钱入咸水海」，不赞成现阶段买楼，认为租好过买。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015 October 27, 梁悅琴, 利奧坊·曉岸加推118伙 個別單位加價 今收票周六售, in 《文匯報》 [Wen Wei Po]

     wong⁴ man⁴ jin⁶ gang³ zi² jin⁶ si⁴ maai⁵ lau^4-2 dang² jyu¹ “dam² cin^4-2 jap⁶ haam⁴ seoi² hoi²”, bat¹ zaan³ sing⁴ jin⁶ gaai¹ dyun⁶ maai⁵ lau^4-2, jing⁶ wai⁴ zou¹ hou² gwo³ maai⁵. [Jyutping]

     Moreover, Denny Wong indicated that buying real estate now is equivalent to "throwing money down the drain". He does not recommend buying real estate at this point and thinks that renting is better than buying.

   • 反正花那麼多錢送禮物給對方，又不是真的有什麼需要，最後，也不過是一起把錢扔進鹹水海，以無意義的高消費活動來印證愛情之所謂深厚堅貞，同時促進社會經濟罷了。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]
     反正花那么多钱送礼物给对方，又不是真的有什么需要，最后，也不过是一起把钱扔进咸水海，以无意义的高消费活动来印证爱情之所谓深厚坚贞，同时促进社会经济罢了。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, 王貽興 [Ong Yi Hing], 《如何回到當時》, Hong Kong: 日閲堂出版社, →ISBN, page 96

     faan² zing³ faa¹ naa⁵ mo¹ do¹ cin^4-2 sung³ lai⁵ mat⁶ kap¹ deoi³ fong¹, jau⁶ bat¹ si⁶ zan¹ dik¹ jau⁵ sam⁶ mo¹ seoi¹ jiu³, zeoi³ hau⁶, jaa⁵ bat¹ gwo³ si⁶ jat¹ hei² baa² cin^4-2 wing¹ zeon³ haam⁴ seoi² hoi², ji⁵ mou⁴ ji³ ji⁶ dik¹ gou¹ siu¹ fai³ wut⁶ dung⁶ loi⁴ jan³ zing³ oi³ cing⁴ zi¹ so² wai⁶ sam¹ hau⁵ gin¹ zing¹, tung⁴ si⁴ cuk¹ zeon³ se⁵ wui^6-2 ging¹ zai³ baa⁶ liu⁵. [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

References

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “九山八海” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].