旌旗蔽日

Chinese

		banner; flag; soldiers	to block out light from the sun
trad. (旌旗蔽日)		旌旗	蔽日
simp. #(旌旗蔽日)		旌旗	蔽日
Literally: “banners blocking out the sun”.

Etymology

c. 340–278 BCE, 屈原 (Qu Yuan), the Nine Odes（《楚辭•九歌·國殤》）

旌蔽日兮敵若雲，矢交墜兮士爭先。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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旌蔽日兮敌若云，矢交坠兮士争先。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: translated by Arthur Waley as "Battle"

Jīng bìrì xī dí ruò yún, shǐ jiāozhuì xī shì zhēngxiān. [Pinyin]

Standards obscure the sun: the foe roll up like clouds.
Arrows fall thick: the warriors press forward.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jīngqíbìrì

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄖˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁶ / sing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jīngqíbìrì
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄥ ㄑㄧˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄖˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jingcíbìrìh
    • Wade–Giles: ching¹-chʻi²-pi⁴-jih⁴
    • Yale: jīng-chí-bì-r̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jingchyibihryh
    • Palladius: цзинцибижи (czincibiži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁶ / sing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁶
    • Yale: jīng kèih bai yaht / sīng kèih bai yaht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁹ / sing¹ kei⁴ bai³ jat⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: jing¹ kéi⁴ bei³ yed⁶ / xing¹ kéi⁴ bei³ yed⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɪŋ⁵⁵ kʰei̯²¹ pɐi̯³³ jɐt̚²/, /sɪŋ⁵⁵ kʰei̯²¹ pɐi̯³³ jɐt̚²/

Idiom

旌旗蔽日

1. Describing a vast and mighty army.