白山黑水

Chinese

		Changbai Mountain	Heilong Jiang
simp. and trad. (白山黑水)		白山	黑水

Etymology

白山 (Báishān, literally “white mountains”) refers to 長白山／长白山 (Chángbáishān, “Changbai Mountain”), while 黑水 (Hēishuǐ, literally “black waters”) refers to the Songhua (Sungari) River, historically referred to as 混同江. First attested in the History of Jin:

生女直地有混同江、長白山，混同江亦號黑龍江，所謂「白山、黑水」是也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

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生女直地有混同江、长白山，混同江亦号黑龙江，所谓「白山、黑水」是也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: 1344 CE, Toqto'a (lead editor), History of Jin

Shēngnǚzhí dì yǒu Hùntóngjiāng, Chángbáishān, Hùntóngjiāng yì hào Hēilóngjiāng, suǒwèi “báishān, hēishuǐ” shìyě. [Pinyin]

(please add an English translation of this usage example)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): báishānhēishuǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ ㄕㄢ ㄏㄟ ㄕㄨㄟˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): baak⁶ saan¹ hak¹ seoi²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: báishānhēishuǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ ㄕㄢ ㄏㄟ ㄕㄨㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: báishanheishuěi
    • Wade–Giles: pai²-shan¹-hei¹-shui³
    • Yale: bái-shān-hēi-shwěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bairshanheishoei
    • Palladius: байшаньхэйшуй (bajšanʹxɛjšuj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵ ʂän⁵⁵ xeɪ̯⁵⁵ ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: baak⁶ saan¹ hak¹ seoi²
    • Yale: baahk sāan hāk séui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹ saan¹ hak⁷ soey²
    • Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶ san¹ heg¹ sêu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paːk̚² saːn⁵⁵ hɐk̚⁵ sɵy̯³⁵/

Idiom

白山黑水

1. (figurative) Northeast China