梅雨

Chinese

		plum flower	rain
simp. and trad. (梅雨)		梅	雨
alternative forms		霉雨
Literally: “plum rain”.

Etymology

Refers to the season where plums ripen.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): méiyǔ

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄟˊ ㄩˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mui⁴ jyu⁵
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): mòi-yí
• Min Nan (POJ): mûi-ú / bôe-í

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Pinyin: méiyǔ
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˊ ㄩˇ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: meiyeu
    • Tongyong Pinyin: méiyǔ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /meɪ̯³⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 梅雨 眉宇

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: mui⁴ jyu⁵
    • Yale: mùih yúh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mui⁴ jy⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: mui⁴ yu⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /muːy̯²¹ jyː¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mòi-yí
    • Hakka Romanization System: moiˇ i`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: moi<sup>2</sup> yi<sup>3</sup>
    • Sinological IPA: /moi̯¹¹ i³¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mòi-yí
    • Hakka Romanization System: moiˇ (r)i`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: moi² yi³
    • Sinological IPA: /moi̯¹¹ (j)i³¹/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mûi-ú
    • Tâi-lô: muî-ú
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mui'uo
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /muĩ²³⁻³³ u⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /muĩ²⁴⁻²² u⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /muĩ²⁴⁻²² u⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /muĩ²⁴⁻¹¹ u⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bôe-í
    • Tâi-lô: buê-í
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boe'ie
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bue¹³⁻²² i⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: /muʌi  ɦɨo^X/

Rime
Character	梅	雨
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	灰 (42)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	莫杯切	王矩切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muʌi/	/ɦɨoX/
Pan Wuyun	/muoi/	/ɦioX/
Shao Rongfen	/muɒi/	/ɣioX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwəj/	/ɦuə̆X/
Li Rong	/muᴀi/	/ɣioX/
Wang Li	/muɒi/	/ɣĭuX/
Bernard Karlgren	/muɑ̆i/	/i̯uX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	méi	yǔ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mui4	jyu5

Noun

梅雨

1. Meiyu (the East Asian rainy season)

   • 洛下麥秋月，江南梅雨天。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     洛下麦秋月，江南梅雨天。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Bai Juyi (白居易), c. 9th century. 《和夢得夏至憶蘇州呈盧賓客》

     Luòxià màiqiū yuè, jiāngnán méiyǔ tiān. [Pinyin]

     The early-summer moon lights Luoyang's fields
     When Southland is overcasts with plum-rain.

   • 梅雨，溪流漲盛，先生扶病往觀。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     梅雨，溪流涨盛，先生扶病往观。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Various editors. c. 13th century. A Collection of Conversations of Master Zhu (《朱子語類》)

     Méiyǔ, xīliú zhǎng shèng, xiānshēng fúbìng wǎng guān. [Pinyin]

     It was the summer rainy season; streams were overflowing. Master Zhu, despite illness, went out to watch the flood.

2. rain that falls during the Meiyu season; summer rain

Synonyms

• (Min Nan) 黃酸雨／黄酸雨
• (Wu) 黃梅雨／黄梅雨

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (梅雨):

• → Japanese: 梅(ばい)雨(う) (baiu)
• → Korean: 매우 (梅雨, mae-u)

See also

• 夏糜

---

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
梅	雨
つゆ
Grade: 4	Grade: 1
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
梅雨 (kyūjitai) 黴雨

First attested in the mid-Muromachi period.

Derivation unclear, likely theories include:

• May be cognate with 露 (tsuyu, “dew, dewdrop”), from the way the rainy season causes everything to be covered in drops that may look like dew. However, the pitch accent differs, as 露 (tsuyu) has either an 頭高型 (atamadaka-gata) or 尾高型 (odaka-gata) pattern, while 梅雨 (tsuyu) has a 平板型 (heiban-gata) pattern.
• Alternatively, may be cognate with classical verb 熟ゆ (tsuyu, modern 熟える (tsueru), “to become ripe”), as plums ripen during the rainy season. In light of the pitch accent and semantics, this derivation appears more likely.

Orthographic borrowing from Chinese 梅雨.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) つゆ [tsùyú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨᵝjɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

梅雨(つゆ) • (tsuyu) 

1. the East Asian rainy season (from early June to early/mid-July)

   Synonym: 五月雨 (samidare)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 梅雨上(つゆあ)がり (tsuyuagari)
• 梅雨明(つゆあ)け (tsuyuake)
• 梅雨入(つゆい)り (tsuyuiri)
• 梅雨(つゆ)型(がた) (tsuyugata)
• 梅雨(つゆ)曇(ぐも)り (tsuyugumori)
• 梅雨(つゆ)寒(ざむ) (tsuyuzamu)
• 梅雨(つゆ)空(ぞら) (tsuyuzora)
• 梅雨(つゆ)茸(たけ) (tsuyutake)
• 梅雨(つゆ)時(どき) (tsuyudoki)
• 梅雨(つゆ)の入(い)り (tsuyu no iri)
• 梅雨(つゆ)の戻(もど)り (tsuyu no modori)
• 梅雨晴(つゆば)れ (tsuyubare)
• 梅雨冷(つゆび)え (tsuyubie)
• 蝦夷(えぞ)梅雨(つゆ) (Ezo tsuyu)
• 送(おく)り梅雨(づゆ) (okurizuyu)
• 返(かえ)り梅雨(づゆ) (kaerizuyu)
• 空(から)梅雨(つゆ) (karatsuyu)
• 黄梅雨(きつゆ) (kitsuyu)
• 筍(たけのこ)梅雨(づゆ) (takenoko-zuyu)
• 照(て)り梅雨(つゆ) (teritsuyu)
• 菜(な)種(たね)梅雨(づゆ) (natanezuyu)
• 残(のこ)り梅雨(づゆ) (nokorizuyu)
• 戻(もど)り梅雨(づゆ) (modorizuyu)

Idioms

• 梅雨(つゆ)の中休(なかやす)み (tsuyu no nakayasumi)
• 梅雨(つゆ)の走(はし)り (tsuyu no hashiri), 走(はし)り梅雨(づゆ) (hashirizuyu)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
梅	雨
ばい Grade: 4	う Grade: 1
kan’on

Alternative spellings
梅雨 (kyūjitai) 黴雨

From Middle Chinese compound 梅雨 (MC muʌi ɦɨo^X), in poetic reference to the season when plums grow or ripen.

Alternatively, the 黴雨 spelling may have been the original spelling. This is homophonous in Middle Chinese, and literally means “mold + rain”, in reference to how moldy things get during this season of constant humidity.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ば​いう [báꜜìù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠iɯ̟ᵝ]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

梅(ばい)雨(う) • (baiu) 

1. the East Asian rainy season (from early June to early/mid-July)

   Synonym: 五月雨 (samidare)

Derived terms

• 梅(ばい)雨(う)前線(ぜんせん) (baiu zensen)
• 梅(ばい)雨(う)末(まっ)期(き)豪(ごう)雨(う) (baiu makki gōu)

---

Korean

Hanja in this term
梅	雨

Noun

梅雨 • (mae-u) (hangeul 매우)

1. Hanja form^? of 매우 (“East Asian rainy season”).