西藏

Chinese

		west	phonetic
trad. (西藏)		西	藏
simp. #(西藏)		西	藏
2nd round simp.		西䒙

Etymology

First attested in the late 16th century, in Ming dynasty official documents. 西 (xī, “west”) denotes the location of Tibet relative to the Qinghai Lake, while 藏 (Zàng) is a shortening of 烏思藏／乌思藏 (Wūsīzàng, “Ü-Tsang”), which was borrowed from Tibetan དབུས་གཙང (dbus gtsang) (Li, 2016).

Manchu ᠸᠠᡵᡤᡳ
ᡯᠠᠩ (wargi dzang, “Ü-Tsang; Tibet”, literally “west dzang”) appears to be a calque of 西藏 (Li, 2018).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Xīzàng

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ ㄗㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sai¹ zong⁶
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): Sî-chhong

  (Meixian, Guangdong): xi¹ cong⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): Să̤-câung
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): se¹ zorng⁵
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Se-chōng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): sai¹ zang⁶

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-zaon

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Xīzàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ ㄗㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Sizàng
    • Wade–Giles: Hsi¹-tsang⁴
    • Yale: Syī-dzàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shitzanq
    • Palladius: Сицзан (Siczan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sai¹ zong⁶
    • Yale: sāi johng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sai¹ dzong⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: sei¹ zong⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːŋ²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Sî-chhong
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi^ˊ cong
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi¹ cong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /si²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰoŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: xi¹ cong⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁴⁴⁻³⁵ t͡sʰɔŋ⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Să̤-câung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(t͡s-)ʒɑuŋ²⁴²/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: se¹ zorng⁵ [Phonetic: se² lorng⁵]
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: Sa̤-cō̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬe⁵³³⁻¹³ ^(t͡s-)lɒŋ²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Se-chōng
    • Tâi-lô: Se-tsōng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sezong
    • IPA (Xiamen): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /se³³ t͡sɔŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /se⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sɔŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /se⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sɔŋ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: sai¹ zang⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sai tsăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sai³³⁻²³ t͡saŋ³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹shi-zaon
    • MiniDict: shi^平 zaon
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-zaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ zɑ̃²¹/

Proper noun

西藏

1. Tibet (cultural area)
   • 1575, 蔡汝賢, (Please provide the book title or journal name); quoted in 明神宗顯皇帝實錄, (Please provide a date or year):

     蓋許之建寺，則西藏一路往來自繇；聽之奉佛，則南北諸番交通無禁，彼黠虜豈真有從善之念哉？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     盖许之建寺，则西藏一路往来自繇；听之奉佛，则南北诸番交通无禁，彼黠虏岂真有从善之念哉？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     Gài xǔ zhī jiàn sì, zé Xīzàng yī lù wǎnglái zìyóu; tīng zhī fèng fó, zé nánběi zhū fān jiāotōng wú jìn, bǐ xiálǔ qǐ zhēn yǒu cóngshàn zhī niàn zāi? [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • c. 1590s, 鄭洛, 敬陳備禦海虜事宜以弭後患疏; quoted in 皇明經世文編, 1638:

     自虜款以後，番虜交通，各僧就近取道海上，直赴西藏。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     自虏款以后，番虏交通，各僧就近取道海上，直赴西藏。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     Zì lǔ kuǎn yǐhòu, fān lǔ jiāotōng, gè sēng jiùjìn qǔdào hǎi shàng, zhí fù Xīzàng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 北踰瀚海，西絶羌荒，青海、厄魯特、西藏、準噶爾之地咸入版圖。 [MSC, trad.]
     北逾瀚海，西绝羌荒，青海、厄鲁特、西藏、准噶尔之地咸入版图。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1764, 欽定大清會典

     Běi yú Hànhǎi, xī jué Qiāng huāng, Qīnghǎi, Èlǔtè, Xīzàng, Zhǔngá'ěr zhī dì xián rù bǎntú. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (～自治區, formerly ～地方) Tibet Autonomous Region (an autonomous region of China; capital: Lhasa)

Synonyms

• (older names) 蕃 (fán), 土蕃, 吐蕃 (Tǔbō, Tǔfān)
• (Tibet (cultural area)): 藏區／藏区 (Zàngqū), 藏地 (Zàngdì), 圖博／图博 (Túbó)

Derived terms

• 西藏地方
• 西藏自治區 / 西藏自治区 (Xīzàng Zìzhìqū)
• 西藏路 (Xīzànglù)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (西藏):

• → Japanese: 西蔵(せいぞう) (Seizō)
• → Korean: 서장(西藏) (Seojang)
• → Vietnamese: Tây Tạng (西藏)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
西	藏
せい Grade: 2	ぞう Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 西藏 – see the following entry.

【西蔵せいぞう】 [proper noun] (rare) Synonym of チベット (Chibetto, “Tibet”); Xizang 【西蔵チベット】 [proper noun] Rare spelling of チベット (“Tibet”).

(This term, 西藏, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏 • (Seojang) (hangeul 서장)

1. hanja form^? of 서장 (“Tibet”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
西	藏

Proper noun

西藏

1. chữ Hán form of Tây Tạng (“Tibet”).