北海

Chinese

		north	ocean; sea
trad. (北海)		北	海
simp. #(北海)		北	海
anagram		海北

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Běihǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bak¹ hoi²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Pak-hái

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Běihǎi [Phonetic: béihǎi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Běihǎi
    • Wade–Giles: Pei³-hai³
    • Yale: Běi-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Beeihae
    • Palladius: Бэйхай (Bɛjxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bak¹ hoi²
    • Yale: bāk hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bak⁷ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: beg¹ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pak-hái
    • Tâi-lô: Pak-hái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pakhae
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /pak̚⁵⁻²⁴ hai⁵⁵⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /pak̚³²⁻⁵ hai⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁴¹/

Proper noun

北海

1. (literary) most remote area in the north

   • 君處北海，寡人處南海，唯是風馬牛不相及也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君处北海，寡人处南海，唯是风马牛不相及也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

     Jūn chù běihǎi, guǎrén chù nánhǎi, wéi shì fēng mǎ niú bù xiàngjí yě. [Pinyin]

     Your ruler dwells near the northern sea, while I, the unworthy one, dwell near the southern sea. Even when our horses and cattle are in heat, they cannot come close to one another.

   • 北海雖賒，扶搖可接；東隅已逝，桑榆非晚。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     北海虽赊，扶摇可接；东隅已逝，桑榆非晚。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 7th century, 王勃 (Wang Bo), 滕王閣序

     Běihǎi suī shē, fúyáo kě jiē; dōngyú yǐ shì, sāngyú fēi wǎn. [Pinyin]

     Though the North Sea is far away, one can still get there with the help of the strong wind. Though the morning is gone, it is not too late to make up the loss in the evening.

   1. (historical, specifically) Caspian Sea
   2. (historical, specifically) Baikal Lake
2. (obsolete) Bohai Sea

   • 挾太山以超北海，語人曰「我不能」，是誠不能也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     挟太山以超北海，语人曰「我不能」，是诚不能也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi, yù rén yuē “wǒ bùnéng”, shì chéng bùnéng yě. [Pinyin]

     In such a thing as taking Mount Taishan under your arm, and leaping over the Bohai Sea with it, if you say to another one “I’m not able to do it,” that is a real case of not being able.

   • 順流而東行，至於北海，東面而視，不見水端。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     顺流而东行，至于北海，东面而视，不见水端。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Shùnliú ér dōng xíng, zhìyú Běihǎi, dōngmiàn ér shì, bùjiàn shuǐ duān. [Pinyin]

     Down the river he travelled east until he reached the North Sea; then he looked eastward at the boundless expanse of water.

3. North Sea
4. Beihai, Beijing

   北海公園／北海公园  ―  Běihǎi Gōngyuán  ―  Beihai Park

5. (～市) Beihai (a prefecture-level city of the Guangxi autonomous region, China)
6. (historical) Kingdom of Beihai (west of present-day Changle County, Shandong)
7. Butterworth (a town in Penang, Malaysia)

Synonyms

• (Bohai Sea): 渤海 (Bó Hǎi)

Derived terms

• 北海道 (Běihǎidào)
• 挾泰山以超北海 / 挟泰山以超北海 (xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi)

Descendants

• → English: Beihai, Pakhoi

Japanese

Kanji in this term
北	海
ほく > ほっ Grade: 2	かい Grade: 2
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
北海 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ho̞k̚ka̠i]
• (Tokyo) ほっかい [hòkkáí] (Heiban – [0])

Noun

北(ほっ)海(かい) • (hokkai) ^{←ほくかい (fokukai)?}

1. northern sea

   Antonym: 南海 (nankai)

Proper noun

北(ほっ)海(かい) • (Hokkai) ^{←ほくかい (Fokukai)?}

1. North Sea

See also

• 北(ほっ)海(かい)道(どう) (Hokkaidō)

Korean

Hanja in this term
北	海

Noun

北海 • (bukhae) (hangeul 북해)

1. hanja form^? of 북해