寶非

Old Korean

Verb

寶非 (*pwupuy- or *pwopuy-)

1. (hapax) The meaning of this term is uncertain. This word appears only once in the poem Cheongbuljuse-ga by the tenth-century monk Gyunyeo. Possibilities include:
   1. to rub, the most common interpretation, based on the Middle Korean reflex and the context of "hands".
   2. to press together. A more recent reconstruction by Lee Geon-Sik, in a comparative study of the Cheongbuljuse-ga to its hansi (Classical Chinese poem) counterpart Cheongbuljuse-song as well as various source Buddhist texts, proposes this meaning in the context of "pressing one's palms together to pray".
   • c. 965, 均如 (Gyunyeo), “請佛住世歌 (Cheongbuljuse-ga)”, in 均如傳 (Gyunyeo-jeon):

     手乙寶非鳴良厼

     *SWON-or pwupuy WUL-e-kwom

     pressing our hands and weeping

Reconstruction notes

This word is usually thought to be spelled purely phonographically, giving the ancestor of Middle Korean 부븨〮다〮 (Yale: pwùpúy-tá). Most reconstructions give *pwupuy- based on Middle Korean, although some give a pronunciation of *pwopuy- as more faithful to the orthography.

Descendants

• Middle Korean: 부븨〮다〮 (pwùpúytá), 비븨〮다〮 (pìpúy-tá)
  • Korean: 비비다 (bibida)

References

• 박지용 外 (Park Ji-yong et al.) (2012) 향가 해독 자료집 [hyangga haedok jaryojip, A Sourcebook of Hyangga Interpretations], Seoul National University, page 291
• 이건식 (I Geon-sik) (2015) “均如 鄕歌 請佛住世歌의 내용 이해와 어학적 解讀 [Study on content understanding of Gyunyeo's hyangga Cheongbuljuse-ga and its linguistic interpretation]”, in Gugyeol Yeon'gu‎^[1], volume 34, pages 137-184