恆河沙

See also: 恒河沙

Chinese

		Ganges River	granule; hoarse; raspy granule; hoarse; raspy; sand; powder; tsar
trad. (恆河沙)		恆河	沙
simp. (恒河沙)		恒河	沙

Etymology

Calque of Sanskrit गंगानदी वालुका (gaṃgānadī vālukā, “sand of the Ganges River”).

The current usage as the number 10⁵² was re-imported from the Japanese usage which first fixed by the Jinkōki (塵劫記), 1634.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hénghéshā

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄥˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄚ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: hénghéshā
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄥˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄕㄚ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: hénghésha
    • Wade–Giles: hêng²-ho²-sha¹
    • Yale: héng-hé-shā
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hernghersha
    • Palladius: хэнхэша (xɛnxɛša)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xɤŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵ ʂä⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹
    • Yale: hàhng hòh sā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hang⁴ ho⁴ saa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: heng⁴ ho⁴ sa¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐŋ²¹ hɔː²¹ saː⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: hong ha srae

Rime
Character	恆	河	沙
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	登 (129)	歌 (94)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	II
Fanqie	胡登切	胡歌切	所加切
Baxter	hong	ha	srae
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦɑ/	/ʃˠa/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦɑ/	/ʃᵚa/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəŋ/	/ɦa/	/ʂaɨ/
Li Rong	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Wang Li	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʃa/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣəŋ/	/ɣɑ/	/ʂa/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	héng	hé	shā
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hang4	ho4	saa1

Noun

恆河沙

1. (etymology, Buddhism) countless number like the total of the grains of sand on the Ganges

   Synonyms: 恆河沙數／恒河沙数 (hénghéshāshù), 河沙

   • 650-661, Bhagavaddharma, transl., Sūtra of the Vast, Perfect, Unimpeded Great-Compassionate Heart of the Thousand-Handed Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Avalokitasvara's Dhāraṇī (千手千眼觀世音菩薩廣大圓滿無礙大悲心陀羅尼經):

     若有謗此咒者，即為謗彼九十九億恆河沙諸佛。 [MSC, trad.]
     若有谤此咒者，即为谤彼九十九亿恒河沙诸佛。 [MSC, simp.]

     Ruò yǒu bàng cǐ zhòu zhě, jí wèi bàng bǐ jiǔshíjiǔyì hénghéshā zhūfó. [Pinyin]

     If there is who slanders this mantra, that is to slander those 9.9 billion times the number of the Ganges river sand, of buddhas.

2. the number 10⁵²

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (恆河沙):

• → Japanese: 恒(ごう)河(が)沙(しゃ) (gōgasha)
• → Korean: 항하사(恒河沙) (hanghasa)
• → Vietnamese: hằng hà sa (恒河沙)