如喪考妣

Chinese

		as (if); such as	lose (by death); mourning; funeral	one's deceased parents
trad. (如喪考妣)		如	喪	考妣
simp. (如丧考妣)		如	丧	考妣

Etymology

From the Book of Documents (《尚書·舜典》):

十有八載，帝乃殂落。百姓如喪考妣，三載，四海遏密八音。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

十有八载，帝乃殂落。百姓如丧考妣，三载，四海遏密八音。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Shí yǒu bā zǎi, Dì nǎi cúluò. Bǎixìng rú sàng kǎobǐ, sān zǎi, sìhǎi è mì bāyīn. [Pinyin]

After twenty-eight years the Di deceased, when the people mourned for him as for a parent for three years. Within the four seas all the eight kinds of instruments of music were stopped and hushed.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rúsàngkǎobǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄨˊ ㄙㄤˋ ㄎㄠˇ ㄅㄧˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyu⁴ song³ haau² bei²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rúsàngkǎobǐ [Phonetic: rúsàngkáobǐ]
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄨˊ ㄙㄤˋ ㄎㄠˇ ㄅㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rúsàngkǎobǐ
    • Wade–Giles: ju²-sang⁴-kʻao³-pi³
    • Yale: rú-sàng-kǎu-bǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: rusanqkaobii
    • Palladius: жусанкаоби (žusankaobi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐu³⁵ sɑŋ⁵¹ kʰɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pi²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jyu⁴ song³ haau² bei²
    • Yale: yùh song háau béi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jy⁴ song³ haau² bei²
    • Guangdong Romanization: yu⁴ song³ hao² béi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyː²¹ sɔːŋ³³ haːu̯³⁵ pei̯³⁵/

Idiom

如喪考妣

1. (now derogatory) grieved or anxious as if one had lost one's parents

   • 陛下不幸北城，北城百姓如喪考妣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     陛下不幸北城，北城百姓如丧考妣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 宋．司馬光《涑水記聞》卷六

     Bìxià bùxìng Běichéng, Běichéng bǎixìng rúsàngkǎobǐ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. concentrate on things

   • 曰：『此生若不徹去，誓不展此。』於是晝坐宵立，如喪考妣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     曰：『此生若不彻去，誓不展此。』于是昼坐宵立，如丧考妣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 《五燈會元．卷一九．何山守珣禪師》

     Yuē: ‘Cǐ shēng ruò bù chè qù, shì bù zhǎn cǐ.’ Yúshì zhòu zuò xiāo lì, rúsàngkǎobǐ. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

References

• “Entry #136444”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.