桑海

Chinese

		mulberry tree	ocean; sea
trad. (桑海)		桑	海
simp. #(桑海)		桑	海

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānghǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄤ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): song¹ hoi²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānghǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄤ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanghǎi
    • Wade–Giles: sang¹-hai³
    • Yale: sāng-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanghae
    • Palladius: санхай (sanxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: song¹ hoi²
    • Yale: sōng hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: song¹ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: song¹ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Etymology 1

Clipping of 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián, literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”).

Noun

桑海

1. (figuratively) changes in the world

   • 萬事如桑海，悲來欲慟神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     万事如桑海，悲来欲恸神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 秋望興慶宮

     Wànshì rú sānghǎi, bēi lái yù tòng shén. [Pinyin]

     Everything changed so quickly, even God would feel my sadness

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English Songhai.

Proper noun

桑海

1. Any of a group of closely related languages or dialects centred on the middle stretches of the Niger River in West Africa, and used as a lingua franca in that region.
2. The Songhai Empire, a medieval West African Empire.

Derived terms

• 桑海帝國 / 桑海帝国
• 桑海語族 / 桑海语族

 

Japanese

Kanji in this term
桑	海
そう Grade: S	かい Grade: 2
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
桑海 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From the Chinese legend of 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián, literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) そーかい [sòókáí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [so̞ːka̠i]

Noun

桑(そう)海(かい) • (sōkai) ^{←さうかい (saukai)?}

1. (figuratively) changes in the world

See also

• 桑(そう)田(でん)滄(そう)海(かい) (sōdensōkai)
• 桑(そう)田(でん)変(へん)じて滄(そう)海(かい)となる (sōden henjite sōkai to naru)
• 滄(そう)海(かい)桑(そう)田(でん) (sōkaisōden)
• 滄(そう)海(かい)変(へん)じて桑(そう)田(でん)となる (sōkai henjite sōden to naru)
• 桑(そう)田(でん)碧(へき)海(かい) (sōdenhekikai)