蟾宮折桂
Chinese
Toad Palace; the Moon | to break off osmanthus sprigs | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (蟾宮折桂) | 蟾宮 | 折桂 | |
simp. (蟾宫折桂) | 蟾宫 | 折桂 | |
Literally: “to break off osmanthus [blossoms] in the Toad Palace”. |
Etymology
The phrase alludes to several Chinese legends: one that credited the phases of the moon to a great osmanthus tree (桂 (guì)) growing and shedding its leaves and blossoms each month; another granting the immortal Chang'e an enormous mansion on the moon (月宮/月宫 (yuègōng)), whose grounds included the tree; another (older than the Chang'e stories) seeing a pareidolic toad in the shadows of the moon and associating the toad with good luck and wealth (金蟾 (jīnchán)). Branches of sweet-smelling blossoms from the tree were thought to (rarely) fall to Earth and grant good luck to whosoever found them. The association with the tests had to do with the holding of the examinations around the time of the blossoming of the osmanthus and the Mid-Autumn Festival honoring its connections to the moon and Chang'e.
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin:
- Zhuyin: ㄔㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄥ ㄓㄜˊ ㄍㄨㄟˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: chángongjhéguèi
- Wade–Giles: chʻan2-kung1-chê2-kuei4
- Yale: chán-gūng-jé-gwèi
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: charngongjerguey
- Palladius: чаньгунчжэгуй (čanʹgunčžɛguj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /ʈ͡ʂʰän³⁵ kʊŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤ³⁵ ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: sim4 gung1 zit3 gwai3
- Yale: sìhm gūng jit gwai
- Cantonese Pinyin: sim4 gung1 dzit8 gwai3
- Guangdong Romanization: xim4 gung1 jid3 guei3
- Sinological IPA (key): /siːm²¹ kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siːt̚³ kʷɐi̯³³/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Idiom
(deprecated template usage) 蟾宮折桂
- (historical) to pass the imperial examination
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