ช้างเผือก
Appearance
Thai
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From ช้าง (cháang, “elephant”) + เผือก (pʉ̀ʉak, “white”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Orthographic | ช้างเผือก d͡ʑ ˆ ā ŋ e pʰ ụ̄ ɒ k | |
Phonemic | ช้าง-เผือก d͡ʑ ˆ ā ŋ – e pʰ ụ̄ ɒ k | |
Romanization | Paiboon | cháang-pʉ̀ʉak |
Royal Institute | chang-phueak | |
(standard) IPA(key) | /t͡ɕʰaːŋ˦˥.pʰɯa̯k̚˨˩/(R) |
Noun
[edit]ช้างเผือก • (cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)
- white elephant, traditionally believed to be one of the seven precious things, known as สัปตรัตนะ (“seven jewels”), that a จักรพรรดิ (jàk-grà-pát, “universal ruler”) should possess.
- (idiomatic) popular person from a rural area, just like a white elephant that is from the wild and is sought after by the palace.
- (slang) the one of a kind; the one and only; the best of all.
- a type of royal decorations of Thailand, known as the Order of the White Elephant.
- (botany) hop tree: the plant Arfeuillea arborescens of the family Sapindaceae.
- (botany) foxtail: the plant Rhynchostylis gigantea of the family Orchidaceae.
Usage notes
[edit]- According to an old law of Thailand, an elephant is considered to be a white elephant if it has the following seven features: white eyes, white palate, white nails, white hairs, white skin, white tail, and white testicle.
Derived terms
[edit]- ทางช้างเผือก (taang-cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)