精衛填海

See also: 精卫填海

Chinese

		Jingwei	to fill up the ocean; to reclaim land
trad. (精衛填海/精衞填海)		精衛/精衞	填海
simp. (精卫填海)		精卫	填海

Etymology

From The Classic of Mountains and Seas:

是炎帝之少女，名曰女娃。女娃遊于東海，溺而不返。，故為精衛。常銜西山之木石，以堙于東海。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

是炎帝之少女，名曰女娃。女娃游于东海，溺而不返。，故为精卫。常衔西山之木石，以堙于东海。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Mountains and Seas

Shì Yándì zhī shàonǚ, míng yuē Nǚwá. Nǚwá yóu yú Dōnghǎi, nì ér bù fǎn., gù wéi Jīngwèi. Cháng xián Xīshān zhī mùshí, yǐ yīn yú Dōnghǎi. [Pinyin]

She is the younger daughter of the Flame Emperor named Nüwa. Nüwa was swimming in the Eastern Sea when she was unable to return to shore and drowned. She then transformed into the bird Spirit-Guardian and regularly carries twigs and stones from the Western Mountains to fill up the Eastern Sea.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jīngwèitiánhǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄥ ㄨㄟˋ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zing¹ wai⁶ tin⁴ hoi²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jīngwèitiánhǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄥ ㄨㄟˋ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jingwèitiánhǎi
    • Wade–Giles: ching¹-wei⁴-tʻien²-hai³
    • Yale: jīng-wèi-tyán-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jingweytyanhae
    • Palladius: цзинвэйтяньхай (czinvɛjtjanʹxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zing¹ wai⁶ tin⁴ hoi²
    • Yale: jīng waih tìhn hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzing¹ wai⁶ tin⁴ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: jing¹ wei⁶ tin⁴ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ wɐi̯²² tʰiːn²¹ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Idiom

精衛填海

1. (figurative) dogged determination