半斤八兩

See also: 半斤八两

Chinese

		half	catty	eight	tael
trad. (半斤八兩/半斤八両)		半	斤	八	兩/両
simp. (半斤八两)		半	斤	八	两

Etymology

From the historical Chinese measurement system, wherein one 斤 (jīn) was equal to 16 兩／两 (liǎng).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bànjīnbāliǎng

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣㄅㄚㄌㄧㄤˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): bun³ gan¹ baat³ loeng^5-2
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): pan-kîn-pat-liông

(Hailu, HRS): ban^ˇ gin^ˋ bad liong^ˋ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): pòaⁿ-kun-poeh-niú / pòaⁿ-kin-peh-niú / pòaⁿ-kin-peh-nió͘

(Teochew, Peng'im): buan³ geng¹ boih⁴ niê² / buan³ gêng¹ boih⁴ nio²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bànjīnbāliǎng
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄣㄅㄚㄌㄧㄤˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bànjinbaliǎng
  - Wade–Giles: pan⁴-chin¹-pa¹-liang³
  - Yale: bàn-jīn-bā-lyǎng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bannjinbaleang
  - Palladius: баньцзиньбалян (banʹczinʹbaljan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pän⁵¹ t͡ɕin⁵⁵ pä⁵⁵ li̯ɑŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: bun³ gan¹ baat³ loeng^5-2
  - Yale: bun gān baat léung
  - Cantonese Pinyin: bun³ gan¹ baat⁸ loeng^5-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: bun³ gen¹ bad³ lêng^5-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /puːn³³ kɐn⁵⁵ paːt̚³ lœːŋ¹³⁻³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pan-kîn-pat-liông
  - Hakka Romanization System: ban gin^ˊ bad^ˋ liong^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ban⁴ gin¹ bad⁵ liong¹
  - Sinological IPA: /pan⁵⁵ kin²⁴ pat̚² li̯oŋ²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: ban^ˇ gin^ˋ bad liong^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /pan¹¹ kin⁵³ pat⁵⁻² lioŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pòaⁿ-kun-poeh-niú
  - Tâi-lô: puànn-kun-pueh-niú
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pvoarkunpoehniuo
  - IPA (Xiamen): /puã²¹⁻⁵³ kun⁴⁴⁻²² pue(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ niũ⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /puã⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ kun³³ pue(ʔ)⁵ niũ⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /puã¹¹⁻⁵³ kun⁴⁴⁻³³ pue(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ niũ⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pòaⁿ-kin-peh-niú
  - Tâi-lô: puànn-kin-peh-niú
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pvoarkinpehniuo
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /puã²¹⁻⁴¹ kin⁴⁴⁻³³ pe(ʔ)³²⁻⁴¹ niũ⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Tainan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pòaⁿ-kin-peh-nió͘
  - Tâi-lô: puànn-kin-peh-nióo
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /puã²¹⁻⁵³ kin⁴⁴⁻²² pe(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ niɔ̃⁵³/
  - IPA (Tainan): /puã²¹⁻⁵³ kin⁴⁴⁻³³ pe(ʔ)³²⁻⁵³ niɔ̃⁵³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: buan³ geng¹ boih⁴ niê² / buan³ gêng¹ boih⁴ nio²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: puàⁿ kṳng poih nié / puàⁿ keng poih nió
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pũã²¹³⁻⁵⁵ kɯŋ³³⁻²³ poiʔ²⁻⁴ nie⁵²/, /pũã²¹³⁻⁵⁵ keŋ³³⁻²³ poiʔ²⁻⁴ nio⁵²⁻²¹/

Note:

buan3 geng1 boih4 niê2 - Chao'an;
buan3 gêng1 boih4 nio2 - Jieyang.

Idiom

半斤八兩

(chiefly derogatory) six of one, half a dozen of the other; not much to choose between the two

Derived terms

半斤笑八兩／半斤笑八两

References

“Entry #3598”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.