冥頑不靈

Chinese

		dark; deep	mischievous; obstinate; to play mischievous; obstinate; to play; stupid; stubborn; naughty	not; no	alert; departed soul; efficacious alert; departed soul; efficacious; quick; effective; intelligence
trad. (冥頑不靈)		冥	頑	不	靈
simp. (冥顽不灵)		冥	顽	不	灵

Etymology

First attested in 819 CE. Coined by Han Yu:

不然，則是鱷魚冥頑不靈，刺史雖有言，不聞不知也。夫傲天子之命吏，不聽其言，不徙以避之，與冥頑不靈而爲民物害者，皆可殺。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

---

不然，则是鳄鱼冥顽不灵，刺史虽有言，不闻不知也。夫傲天子之命吏，不听其言，不徙以避之，与冥顽不灵而为民物害者，皆可杀。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: 819 May 21, Han Yu (韓愈),《鱷魚文》, translated into English as Crocodile of Ch‘ao-chou by Herbert Allen Giles, 1922.

Bùrán, zéshì èyú míngwánbùlíng, cìshǐ suī yǒu yán, bù wén bù zhī yě. Fū ào tiānzǐ zhī mìnglì, bù tīng qí yán, bù xǐ yǐ bì zhī, yǔ míngwánbùlíng ér wéi mínwù hài zhě, jiē kě shā. [Pinyin]

Or, may be, that thou hast not wit to seize the purport of my words; though whether it be wilful disobedience or stupid misapprehension, the punishment in each case is death.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): míngwánbùlíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁵ waan⁴ bat¹ ling⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: míngwánbùlíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄢˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: míngwánbùlíng
    • Wade–Giles: ming²-wan²-pu⁴-ling²
    • Yale: míng-wán-bù-líng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingwanbuling
    • Palladius: минваньбулин (minvanʹbulin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ wän³⁵ pu⁵¹ liŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ming⁵ waan⁴ bat¹ ling⁴
    • Yale: míhng wàahn bāt lìhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁵ waan⁴ bat⁷ ling⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ming⁵ wan⁴ bed¹ ling⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ¹³ waːn²¹ pɐt̚⁵ lɪŋ²¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: meng ngwaen pjut leng

Rime
Character	冥	頑	不	靈
Reading #	1/1	1/1	3/3	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	疑 (31)	幫 (1)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	青 (125)	刪 (70)	物 (60)	青 (125)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed	Closed	Open
Division (等)	IV	II	III	IV
Fanqie	莫經切	五還切	分勿切	郎丁切
Baxter	meng	ngwaen	pjut	leng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/meŋ/	/ŋˠuan/	/pɨut̚/	/leŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/meŋ/	/ŋʷᵚan/	/piut̚/	/leŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/mɛŋ/	/ŋuɐn/	/piuət̚/	/lɛŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mɛjŋ/	/ŋwaɨn/	/put̚/	/lɛjŋ/
Li Rong	/meŋ/	/ŋuan/	/piuət̚/	/leŋ/
Wang Li	/mieŋ/	/ŋwan/	/pĭuət̚/	/lieŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mieŋ/	/ŋwan/	/pi̯uət̚/	/lieŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	míng	wán	fu	líng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ming4	ngaan4	fat1	ling4

Idiom

冥頑不靈

1. obstinate and ignorant; stubborn and benighted