狻猊

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (狻猊)		狻	猊
simp. #(狻猊)		狻	猊
alternative forms		狻麑 尊耳 騶吾／驺吾 騶虞／驺虞 騶牙／驺牙 狻麑 尊耳 騶吾／驺吾 騶虞／驺虞 騶牙／驺牙 酋耳

Etymology

An imported word from the Western Regions, derived from a word in a source language meaning “lion”.

The use of 狻猊 (OC *swar ŋe) possibly predates that of 獅 (OC *sri, “lion”). Compare Proto-Indo-Iranian *sinȷ́ʰás (“lion”), Proto-Iranian *sarg-, whence Khotanese sarau. Bailey (1979):

Sogdian of the Buddhist texts šrγω, gen. sing. šrγωy. Sogdian of the Manichean texts šrωγ, Middle Parthian of Turfan šgr, šgr-z‘dg (“cub of lion”). Middle Persian šgr ... Here sarau is from *sarāva- but, since -g- is absent in mura- 'bird' < mr̥ga-, it would be possible to trace sarau to [Proto-Iranian] *sargāva- and so to base sar-g-, as for Sogdian and M.Parthian.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): suānní

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨㄢ ㄋㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): syun¹ ngai⁴
• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): suêng¹ ngi⁵

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: suānní
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄨㄢ ㄋㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: suanní
    • Wade–Giles: suan¹-ni²
    • Yale: swān-ní
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: suanni
    • Palladius: суаньни (suanʹni)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /su̯än⁵⁵ ni³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: syun¹ ngai⁴
    • Yale: syūn ngàih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: syn¹ ngai⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xun¹ ngei⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /syːn⁵⁵ ŋɐi̯²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: suêng¹ ngi⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sueng ngî
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sueŋ³³⁻²³ ŋi⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: swan ngej

Rime
Character	狻	猊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	疑 (31)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)	齊 (39)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	IV
Fanqie	素官切	五稽切
Baxter	swan	ngej
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/suɑn/	/ŋei/
Pan Wuyun	/sʷɑn/	/ŋei/
Shao Rongfen	/suɑn/	/ŋɛi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/swan/	/ŋɛj/
Li Rong	/suɑn/	/ŋei/
Wang Li	/suɑn/	/ŋiei/
Bernard Karlgren	/suɑn/	/ŋiei/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	suān	yí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	syun1	ngai4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*sloːn  ŋeː/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	狻	猊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	16435	2744
Phonetic component	允	兒
Rime group	元	支
Rime subdivision	3	0
Corresponding MC rime	酸	倪
Old Chinese	/*sloːn/	/*ŋeː/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 狻猊

1. (archaic) lion
2. (Chinese mythology) mythological creature which is said to be a hybrid of lion and dragon, likes to sit down and is one of the nine sons of the dragon