狻猊

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (狻猊)		狻	猊
simp. #(狻猊)		狻	猊
alternative forms		狻麑 尊耳 騶吾／驺吾 騶虞／驺虞 騶牙／驺牙 狻麑 尊耳 騶吾／驺吾 騶虞／驺虞 騶牙／驺牙 酋耳

Etymology

The (legendary) beast was mentioned in the ancient Chinese glossary Erya as 狻麑, a "devourer of tigers and leopards". It was also attested in the Mu Tianzi Zhuan (nominally from the Warring States period; however the textual history of the book was problematic). If correctly identified as a legendary account of the lion as later texts do, it may be a (partial) borrowing, possibly from a historical Iranian or Indo-Iranian language.

The use of 狻猊 (OC *swar ŋe) possibly predates that of 獅 (OC *sri, “lion”). Compare Proto-Indo-Iranian *sinȷ́ʰás (“lion”), Proto-Iranian *cárguš.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): suānní

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨㄢ ㄋㄧˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): syun¹ ngai⁴
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): soan-gê

  (Teochew, Peng'im): suêng¹ ngi⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: suānní
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄨㄢ ㄋㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: suanní
    • Wade–Giles: suan¹-ni²
    • Yale: swān-ní
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: suanni
    • Palladius: суаньни (suanʹni)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /su̯än⁵⁵ ni³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: syun¹ ngai⁴
    • Yale: syūn ngàih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: syn¹ ngai⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xun¹ ngei⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /syːn⁵⁵ ŋɐi̯²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: soan-gê
    • Tâi-lô: suan-gê
    • Phofsit Daibuun: soan'gee
    • IPA (Xiamen): /suan⁴⁴⁻²² ɡe²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /suan³³ ɡe²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /suan⁴⁴⁻²² ɡe¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /suan⁴⁴⁻³³ ɡe²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /suan⁴⁴⁻³³ ɡe²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: suêng¹ ngi⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sueng ngî
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sueŋ³³⁻²³ ŋi⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: swan ngej

Rime
Character	狻	猊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	疑 (31)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)	齊 (39)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	IV
Fanqie	素官切	五稽切
Baxter	swan	ngej
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/suɑn/	/ŋei/
Pan Wuyun	/sʷɑn/	/ŋei/
Shao Rongfen	/suɑn/	/ŋɛi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/swan/	/ŋɛj/
Li Rong	/suɑn/	/ŋei/
Wang Li	/suɑn/	/ŋiei/
Bernhard Karlgren	/suɑn/	/ŋiei/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	suān	yí
Expected Cantonese Reflex	syun1	ngai4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*sloːn  ŋeː/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	狻	猊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	16435	2744
Phonetic component	允	兒
Rime group	元	支
Rime subdivision	3	0
Corresponding MC rime	酸	倪
Old Chinese	/*sloːn/	/*ŋeː/

Noun

狻猊

1. (archaic) lion

   • 狻麑，如虦貓，食虎豹。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     狻麑，如𰲠猫，食虎豹。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Erya, 5^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Suānní, rú zhànmāo, shí hǔbào. [Pinyin]

     The lions look like light(-haired) cats; they eat tigers and leopards.

   • 狻猊□野馬走五百里。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     狻猊□野马走五百里。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Tale of King Mu, Son of Heaven, c. 370 – 330 BCE

     Suānní □ yěmǎ zǒu wǔbǎi lǐ. [Pinyin]

     Lions [and?] wild horses run 500 li [a day].

2. (Chinese mythology) mythological creature which is said to be a hybrid of lion and dragon, one of the nine sons of the dragon; said to either like to smoke and decorate incense burners, or like to sit down and decorate the thrones of Buddha statues

Coordinate terms

• ("sons of the dragon", creatures found in decorations): 贔屭／赑屃 (bìxì), 霸下 (bàxià), 𧈢𧏡 (bàxià), 螭虎 (chīhǔ), 饕餮 (tāotiè), 蜥蜴 (xīyì), 睚眥／睚眦 (yázì), 鴟吻／鸱吻 (chīwěn), 虭蛥 (diāoshé), 嘲風／嘲风 (cháofēng), 蒲牢 (púláo), 狴犴 (bì'àn), 椒圖／椒图 (jiāotú), 金吾 (jīnwú), 囚牛 (qiúniú)

Further reading

• Behr, Wolfgang. "Hinc sunt leones – two ancient Eurasian migratory terms in Chinese revisited (I-II)". International Jour­nal of Central Asian Studies. Volume 9, 2004, pp. 1-25; Volume 10, 2005, pp. 1-22.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
狻	猊
さん Hyōgai	げい Hyōgai
kan'on

Kanji in this term
狻	猊
しゅん Hyōgai	げい Hyōgai
kan'on

Etymology

Literary Chinese 狻猊 (suānní)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sã̠ŋɡe̞ː]

• (Tokyo) しゅんげー [shùńgéé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨ̃ŋɡe̞ː]

Noun

狻(さん)猊(げい) or 狻(しゅん)猊(げい) • (sangei or shungei) 

1. (Chinese mythology) a suanni, a cross between a dragon and a lion
2. (loosely, rare) Synonym of 獅子 (shishi, “lion”)

Proper noun

狻(さん)猊(げい) or 狻(しゅん)猊(げい) • (Sangei or Shungei) 

1. (Chinese mythology) the suanni that was one of the nine sons of the dragon

See also

• 猊(げい)下(か) (geika)
• 猊(げい)座(ざ) (geiza)