蓍龜

Chinese

		Achillea sibirica	tortoise; turtle
trad. (蓍龜)		蓍	龜
simp. (蓍龟)		蓍	龟

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shīguī

  (Zhuyin): ㄕ ㄍㄨㄟ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): si¹ gwai¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shīguī
    • Zhuyin: ㄕ ㄍㄨㄟ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shihguei
    • Wade–Giles: shih¹-kuei¹
    • Yale: shr̄-gwēi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyguei
    • Palladius: шигуй (šiguj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: si¹ gwai¹
    • Yale: sī gwāi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: si¹ gwai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: xi¹ guei¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: syij kwij

Rime
Character	蓍	龜
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	書 (26)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)	脂 (18)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	式之切	居追切
Baxter	syij	kwij
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiɪ/	/kˠiuɪ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕi/	/kʷᵚi/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjɪ/	/kiuɪ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕi/	/kjwi/
Li Rong	/ɕi/	/kjui/
Wang Li	/ɕi/	/kwi/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi/	/kwi/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shī	guī
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si1	gwai1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s-kij  [k]ʷrə/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qʰlji  kʷrɯ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	蓍	龜
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shī	guī
Middle Chinese	‹ syij ›	‹ kwij ›
Old Chinese	/*s-kij/	/*[k]ʷrə/
English	Achillea (?)	tortoise
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	蓍	龜
Reading #	1/1	2/2
No.	17330	4616
Phonetic component	旨	龜
Rime group	脂	之
Rime subdivision	2	1
Corresponding MC rime		龜
Old Chinese	/*qʰlji/	/*kʷrɯ/

Noun

蓍龜

1. (literary, metonymically) divination (especially by the yarrow stalks and tortoise shell)

   • 如實論之，卜筮不問天地，蓍龜未必神靈。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     如实论之，卜筮不问天地，蓍龟未必神灵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Wang Chong, Lun Heng (Discussive Weighing), 80 CE, translated based on Alfred Forke's version

     Rúshí lùn zhī, bǔshì bùwèn tiāndì, shīguī wèibì shénlíng. [Pinyin]

     As a matter of fact, diviners do not ask Heaven and Earth, nor have weeds or tortoises spiritual qualities.

Derived terms

• 不待蓍龜／不待蓍龟 (bùdàishīguī)