三教九流

Chinese

		the Three teachings: Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism	the Nine Schools of Pre-Qin Philosophy
trad. (三教九流)		三教	九流
simp. #(三教九流)		三教	九流
anagram		九流三教

Etymology

The Three Religions (namely Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism) was established on January 9, 574, according to History of the Northern Dynasties. And the Nine Schools (namely Confucianism, Daoism, Naturalism, Legalism, Logicians, Mohism, Diplomatists, Syncretism, and Agriculturalism) is from:

諸子十家，其可觀者九家而已。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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诸子十家，其可观者九家而已。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Han, circa 1^st century CE

Zhūzǐ shí jiā, qí kěguān zhě jiǔ jiā éryǐ. [Pinyin]

Only nine out of the ten schools of thought prove worthwhile.

Note that 小說家／小说家 (xiǎoshuōjiā, “School of ‘Minor-talks’”) was excluded henceforth.

The idiom as a whole first attested in the early 13^th century.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānjiàojiǔliú

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧㄡˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ gaau³ gau² lau⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sam-kàu-kiú-liû

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānjiàojiǔliú
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄐㄧㄠˋ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄌㄧㄡˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanjiàojiǒulióu
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-chiao⁴-chiu³-liu²
    • Yale: sān-jyàu-jyǒu-lyóu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanjiawjeouliou
    • Palladius: саньцзяоцзюлю (sanʹczjaoczjulju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹ t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ li̯oʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ gaau³ gau² lau⁴
    • Yale: sāam gaau gáu làuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ gaau³ gau² lau⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ gao³ geo² leo⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ kaːu̯³³ kɐu̯³⁵ lɐu̯²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sam-kàu-kiú-liû
    • Tâi-lô: sam-kàu-kiú-liû
    • Phofsit Daibuun: samkao'kiwliuu
    • IPA (Taipei): /sam⁴⁴⁻³³ kau¹¹ kiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liu²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /sam⁴⁴⁻³³ kau²¹ kiu⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ liu²³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sam⁴⁴⁻²² kau²¹ kiu⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liu²⁴/

Noun

三教九流

1. different schools of thought
2. (often derogatory) people from all walks of life

Synonyms

• 九流三教 (jiǔliúsānjiào)

Further reading

• A General Introduction to Various Schools of Thought by Zhang Taiyan