上窮碧落下黃泉

See also: 上穷碧落下黄泉

Chinese

		up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	exhausted; poor	sky; blue sky	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter	yellow spring; underground spring; underworld yellow spring; underground spring; underworld; the land of the dead
trad. (上窮碧落下黃泉)		上	窮	碧落	下	黃泉
simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉)		上	穷	碧落	下	黄泉
Literally: “(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).”

Etymology

From the Song of Everlasting Regret in 806 CE, by poet Bai Juyi:

上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 806 CE, Bai Juyi, Song of Everlasting Regret

Shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bù jiàn. [Pinyin]

The priest searched thoroughly up in the blue beyond, as well as down in the Yellow Springs below the earth, but did not spot her (Yang Guifei) in the vastness of either place.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik¹ lok⁶ haa⁶ wong⁴ cyun⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shàng cyóng bìluò sià huángcyuán
    • Wade–Giles: shang⁴ chʻiung² pi⁴-lo⁴ hsia⁴ huang²-chʻüan²
    • Yale: shàng chyúng bì-lwò syà hwáng-chywán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanq chyong bihluoh shiah hwangchyuan
    • Palladius: шан цюн било ся хуанцюань (šan cjun bilo sja xuancjuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik¹ lok⁶ haa⁶ wong⁴ cyun⁴
    • Yale: seuhng kùhng bīk lohk hah wòhng chyùhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik⁷ lok⁹ haa⁶ wong⁴ tsyn⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêng⁶ kung⁴ big¹ log⁶ ha⁶ wong⁴ qun⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœːŋ²² kʰʊŋ²¹ pɪk̚⁵ lɔːk̚² haː²² wɔːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: dzyangX gjuwng pjiek lak haeH hwang dzjwen

Rime
Character	上	窮	碧	落	下	黃	泉
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1	1/1	2/2	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	常 (25)	群 (30)	幫 (1)	來 (37)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	陽 (105)	東 (2)	昔 (124)	鐸 (103)	麻 (98)	唐 (102)	仙 (78)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Closed	Open	Open	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	III	III	III	I	II	I	III
Fanqie	時掌切	渠弓切	彼役切	盧各切	胡駕切	胡光切	疾緣切
Baxter	dzyangX	gjuwng	pjiek	lak	haeH	hwang	dzjwen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʑɨɐŋX/	/ɡɨuŋ/	/pwiᴇk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɦˠaH/	/ɦwɑŋ/	/d͡ziuᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡ʑiɐŋX/	/ɡiuŋ/	/pʷiɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɦᵚaH/	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/d͡zʷiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʑiɑŋX/	/ɡiuŋ/	/piuæk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣaH/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zjuæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡ʑɨaŋX/	/guwŋ/	/pwiajk̚/	/lak̚/	/ɦaɨH/	/ɦwaŋ/	/d͡zwian/
Li Rong	/ʑiaŋX/	/ɡiuŋ/	/piuɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣaH/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡ziuɛn/
Wang Li	/ʑĭaŋX/	/ɡĭuŋ/	/pĭwɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣaH/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zĭwɛn/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʑi̯aŋX/	/gi̯uŋ/	/pi̯wɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣaH/	/ɣwɑŋ/	/d͡zʱi̯wɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shàng	qióng	bi	luò	xià	huáng	quán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	soeng6	kung4	bik1	lok6	haa6	wong4	cyun4

Idiom

上窮碧落下黃泉

1. to search high and low

   • 乃見桂英披髮仗劍，指罵：「王魁負義漢，我上窮碧落下黃泉，尋汝不見，汝卻在此。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     乃见桂英披发仗剑，指骂：「王魁负义汉，我上穷碧落下黄泉，寻汝不见，汝却在此。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Southern Song, 羅燁 (Luo Ye), 《醉翁談錄·卷二·王魁負心桂英死報》

     Nǎi jiàn Guìyīng pīfà zhàngjiàn, zhǐmà: “Wáng Kuí fùyìhàn, wǒ shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, xún rǔ bùjiàn, rǔ què zài cǐ.” [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 我們不是讀書的人，我們只是上窮碧落下黃泉，動手動腳找東西。 [MSC, trad.]
     我们不是读书的人，我们只是上穷碧落下黄泉，动手动脚找东西。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1928, Fu Ssu-nien, 《歷史語言研究所工作之旨趣》 [The Aims of Founding the Institute of History and Philology]

     Wǒmen bùshì dúshū de rén, wǒmen zhǐshì shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, dòngshǒudòngjiǎo zhǎo dōngxī. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)