觀音

See also: 观音

Chinese

		observing	sound(s) cry(/ies)
trad. (觀音)		觀	音
simp. (观音)		观	音

The statue of "Guanyin of the South China Sea" on Putuoshan Island off Zhejiang, China. Chinese Buddhism credits the location as her first appearance in China.

Etymology

“[One who] Observes Sounds”, in reference to the prayers and cries of sentient beings who need help, a calque of Sanskrit अवलोकितस्वर (avalokitasvara, literally “down-observe-sound”), the original form of अवलोकितेश्वर (avalokiteśvara, “Avalokiteśvara”), the bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas.

Synonymous with 觀世音／观世音 (Guānshìyīn, “One who Observes the Sounds of the World”), which interpreted the middle element of the Sanskrit compound as लोक (loka, “world”). The shorter form became more common during the Tang dynasty to avoid naming the taboo personal name of Emperor Taizong of Tang, 李世民.

Compare Tibetan སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས (spyan ras gzigs, literally “one who looks down with an unwavering eye”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Guānyīn

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄢ ㄧㄣ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gun¹ jam¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gon¹ yim¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): Kôn-yîm

  (Hailu, HRS): gon^ˋ rhim^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): guon¹ yim¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): guan¹ ing¹
• Eastern Min (BUC): Guăng-ĭng^→nĭng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): gua¹ ing¹ / guaⁿ¹ ing¹ / guang¹ ing¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Koan-im

  (Teochew, Peng'im): guêng¹ im¹ / guang¹ im¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹kuoe-in

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Guānyīn
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄢ ㄧㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Guanyin
    • Wade–Giles: Kuan¹-yin¹
    • Yale: Gwān-yīn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Guanin
    • Palladius: Гуаньинь (Guanʹinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯än⁵⁵ in⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gun¹ jam¹
    • Yale: gūn yām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gun¹ jam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gun¹ yem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuːn⁵⁵ jɐm⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gon¹ yim¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kᵘɔn³³ jim³³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kôn-yîm
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˊ im^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹ yim¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴⁻¹¹ im²⁴/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Kôn-yîm
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˊ (r)im^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹ yim¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴⁻¹¹ (j)im²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˋ rhim^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /kon⁵³ ʒim⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: guon¹ yim¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kuɔn⁴⁴ im⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: guan¹ ing¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kuæ̃¹¹ iŋ¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Guăng-ĭng^→nĭng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuaŋ⁵⁵ nˡiŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: gua¹ ing¹ [Phonetic: gua⁵ ing¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kua⁵³³⁻²¹ iŋ⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: guaⁿ¹ ing¹ [Phonetic: guaⁿ⁵ ing¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kũã⁵³³⁻²¹ iŋ⁵³³/
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: guang¹ ing¹ [Phonetic: guang⁵ nging¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuaŋ⁵³³⁻²¹ ^(Ø-)ŋiŋ⁵³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Koan-im
    • Tâi-lô: Kuan-im
    • Phofsit Daibuun: koan'ym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kuan⁴⁴⁻²² im⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kuan³³ im³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kuan⁴⁴⁻²² im⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kuan⁴⁴⁻³³ im⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kuan⁴⁴⁻³³ im⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: guêng¹ im¹ / guang¹ im¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kueng im / kuang im
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kueŋ³³⁻²³ im³³/, /kuaŋ³³⁻²³ im³³/

Note:

• guêng1 im1 - Chaohzou;
• guang1 im1 - Jieyang.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹kuoe-in
    • MiniDict: kuoe^平 in
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹kuoe-in
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kuø⁵⁵ in²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: kwan 'im

Rime
Character	觀	音
Reading #	1/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)	侵 (140)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	古丸切	於金切
Baxter	kwan	'im
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuɑn/	/ʔˠiɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/kʷɑn/	/ʔᵚim/
Shao Rongfen	/kuɑn/	/ʔiem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwan/	/ʔjim/
Li Rong	/kuɑn/	/ʔjəm/
Wang Li	/kuɑn/	/ĭĕm/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuɑn/	/ʔi̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	guān	yīn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gun1	jam1

Proper noun

觀音

1. (～菩薩) (Buddhism) Guanyin
2. (～區, formerly ～鄉) Guanyin (a district of Taoyuan, Taiwan, formerly a rural township)
3. (～鎮) Guanyin (a town in Yunxi, Shiyan, Hubei, China)

Usage notes

Although Avalokiteśvara was reckoned a male figure and Guanyin was first depicted as a male in Chinese art, she is now almost always understood to be and referenced as a goddess or female boddhisattva.

Synonyms

• 觀世音／观世音 (Guānshìyīn)
• (Hokkien, Teochew) 觀音媽／观音妈, 觀音娘／观音娘

Derived terms

• 千手千眼觀音 / 千手千眼观音 (Qiān Shǒu Qiān Yǎn Guānyīn)
• 千手觀音 / 千手观音
• 水月觀音 / 水月观音
• 活觀音 / 活观音
• 白衣觀音 / 白衣观音
• 觀音佛祖 / 观音佛祖
• 觀音兜 / 观音兜
• 觀音兵 / 观音兵 (guānyīnbīng)
• 觀音土 / 观音土 (guānyīntǔ)
• 觀音壋 / 观音垱 (Guānyīndàng)
• 觀音大士 / 观音大士 (Guānyīn Dàshì)
• 觀音媽 / 观音妈
• 觀音山 / 观音山
• 觀音山轎子 / 观音山轿子
• 觀音座蓮 / 观音座莲
• 觀音庵 / 观音庵
• 觀音手 / 观音手
• 觀音暴 / 观音暴
• 觀音柳 / 观音柳
• 觀音棕竹 / 观音棕竹
• 觀音法會 / 观音法会
• 觀音竹 / 观音竹 (guānyīnzhú)
• 觀音粉 / 观音粉
• 觀音素 / 观音素
• 觀音經 / 观音经
• 觀音草 / 观音草
• 觀音菊 / 观音菊
• 觀音菩薩 / 观音菩萨 (Guānyīn Púsà)
• 觀音蓮 / 观音莲
• 觀音衲 / 观音衲
• 觀音誕 / 观音诞 (Guānyīndàn)
• 送子觀音 / 送子观音
• 鎖骨觀音 / 锁骨观音
• 鐵觀音 / 铁观音 (tiěguānyīn)
• 魚籃觀音 / 鱼篮观音

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (觀音):

• → Japanese: 観(かん)音(のん) (Kannon)
• → Korean: 관음(觀音) (Gwaneum)
• → Vietnamese: Quan Âm (觀音)

Others:

• → Burmese: ကွမ်ယင် (kwam-yang)
• → English: Guanyin
• → Indonesian: Kwan Im
• → Thai: กวนอิม

References

• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “观音”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 243.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
觀	音
かん Hyōgai	おん > のん Grade: 1

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

【観音かんのん】 [proper noun] (Buddhism) Short for 観世音菩薩 (Kanzeon Bosatsu): Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion; also known in some cultures as Guanyin, the goddess of mercy

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

Korean

Hanja in this term
觀	音

Proper noun

觀音 • (Gwaneum or McCune-Reischauer: Kwanŭm or Yale: Kwan.um) (hangeul 관음)

1. hanja form^? of 관음 (“Guanyin”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
觀	音

Proper noun

觀音

1. chữ Hán form of Quan Âm (“Guanyin”).