西藏

Chinese

		west	phonetic
trad. (西藏)		西	藏
simp. #(西藏)		西	藏
2nd round simp.		西䒙

Etymology

Partial calque of Manchu ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳ
ᡯᠠᠩ (wargi dzang, “Ü-Tsang; Tibet”, literally “west dzang”) in Qing-dynasty imperial annals (Qing Shilu, 1663 CE) (Chen, 1999).

The Manchu term was a phono-semantic matching of Tibetan དབུས་གཙང (dbus gtsang, “Ü-Tsang”), matching the first syllable དབུས (dbus, “centre”) with the then close-sounding Manchu ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳ (wargi, “west”, i.e. western region) (ibid.).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Xīzàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ ㄗㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sai¹ zong⁶
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): Sî-chhong

  (Meixian, Guangdong): xi¹ cong⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): Să̤-câung
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): se¹ zorng⁵
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Se-chōng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): sai¹ zang⁶

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-zaon

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Xīzàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ ㄗㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Sizàng
    • Wade–Giles: Hsi¹-tsang⁴
    • Yale: Syī-dzàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shitzanq
    • Palladius: Сицзан (Siczan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sai¹ zong⁶
    • Yale: sāi johng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sai¹ dzong⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: sei¹ zong⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːŋ²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sî-chhong
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi^ˊ cong
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi¹ cong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /si²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰoŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: xi¹ cong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɔŋ⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Să̤-câung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(t͡s-)ʒɑuŋ²⁴²/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: se¹ zorng⁵ [Phonetic: se² lorng⁵]
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: Sa̤-cō̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬe⁵³³⁻¹³ ^(t͡s-)lɒŋ²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Se-chōng
    • Tâi-lô: Se-tsōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sezong
    • IPA (Xiamen): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /se³³ t͡sɔŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: sai¹ zang⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sai tsăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sai³³⁻²³ t͡saŋ³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹shi-zaon
    • MiniDict: shi^平 zaon
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-zaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ zɑ̃²¹/

Proper noun

西藏

1. Tibet (cultural area)

   • 北踰瀚海，西絶羌荒，青海、厄魯特、西藏、準噶爾之地咸入版圖。 [MSC, trad.]
     北逾瀚海，西绝羌荒，青海、厄鲁特、西藏、准噶尔之地咸入版图。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1764, 欽定大清會典

     Běi yú Hànhǎi, xī jué Qiāng huāng, Qīnghǎi, Èlǔtè, Xīzàng, Zhǔngá'ěr zhī dì xián rù bǎntú. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (～自治區, formerly ～地方) Tibet Autonomous Region (an autonomous region of China; capital: Lhasa)

Synonyms

• (older names) 蕃 (fán), 土蕃 (Tǔbō, Tǔfán), 吐蕃 (Tǔbō, Tǔfán)
• (Tibet (cultural area)): 藏區／藏区 (Zàngqū), 藏地 (Zàngdì), 圖博／图博 (Túbó)

Derived terms

• 西藏地方
• 西藏自治區／西藏自治区 (Xīzàng Zìzhìqū)
• 西藏路 (Xīzànglù)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (西藏):

• → Japanese: 西蔵(せいぞう) (Seizō)
• → Korean: 서장(西藏) (Seojang)
• → Vietnamese: Tây Tạng (西藏)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
西	藏
せい Grade: 2	ぞう Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 西藏 – see the following entry.

【西蔵せいぞう】 [proper noun] (rare) Synonym of チベット (Chibetto, “Tibet”); Xizang 【西蔵チベット】 [proper noun] Rare spelling of チベット (“Tibet”).

(This term, 西藏, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏 • (Seojang) (hangeul 서장)

1. hanja form^? of 서장 (“Tibet”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏

1. chữ Hán form of Tây Tạng (“Tibet”).