身毒

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (身毒)		身	毒
simp. #(身毒)		身	毒

Etymology

Transcription of the same Old Persian [script needed] (*Hinduka, “India”) (or its minor variants, such as 𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 (hinduš)) as 天竺 (Tiānzhú). It is the oldest of the Chinese names for India, and occurs in Shiji in connection with the mission of Zhang Qian to Daxia.

Using Middle Chinese reconstructions of the two characters in this word (ɕiɪn duok̚) gives the false impression that this is derived from the name of Sindhu (सिन्धु) – the name of the westernmost kingdom of India. Factors making this etymology unlikely include:

1. Zhang Qian had no direct contact with India or with the Indians. He gathered the name from the people of Daxia which was a pure Iranian zone then under the occupation of Yuezhi;
2. The choice of an alveolopalatal sibilant ɕ- for a clear dental sibilant s- in the original language; cf. known transcriptions of Sindhu: 新頭 新陶 辛頭 信度, all commencing with a dental sibilant; and
3. The presence of a final -k in 身毒, as in 天竺.

The ancient Chinese writers have long suggested that shēn in this word had a different pronunciation. Yan Shigu in his commentary to the Hanshu says:

捐毒即身毒、天篤也，本皆一名，語有輕重耳。 [MSC, trad.]

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捐毒即身毒、天笃也，本皆一名，语有轻重耳。 [MSC, simp.]

Juāndú jí Yuāndú, Tiāndǔ yě, běn jiē yī míng, yǔ yǒu qīngzhòng ěr. [Pinyin]

Juandu (捐毒), Yuandu (身毒) and Tiandu (天篤) are originally the same name pronounced either lightly or with emphasis.

The variant of Late Old Chinese that Zhang Qian had used showed the dialectal development of Old Chinese 身 *n̥in > *χin ~ hin, explaining the choice of 身 (shēn). This is perhaps comparable to the case of 天 in 天竺 (“India”), also a dialectal Old Chinese variant pronunciation. Modern dictionaries variably designate the proper pronunciation of this word in modern Beijing Mandarin as Juāndú, Yuándú, Yuāndú, but rarely Shēndú as would be pronounced by an unknowledgeable native.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Juāndú, Yuándú, Yuāndú

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ, ㄩㄢˊ ㄉㄨˊ, ㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gyun¹ duk¹ / jyun⁴ duk¹ / gyun¹ duk⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Juāndú
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Jyuandú
    • Wade–Giles: Chüan¹-tu²
    • Yale: Jywān-dú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Jiuandwu
    • Palladius: Цзюаньду (Czjuanʹdu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy̯ɛn⁵⁵ tu³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, variant)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Yuándú
    • Zhuyin: ㄩㄢˊ ㄉㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Yuándú
    • Wade–Giles: Yüan²-tu²
    • Yale: Ywán-dú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Yuandwu
    • Palladius: Юаньду (Juanʹdu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɥɛn³⁵ tu³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, variant)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Yuāndú
    • Zhuyin: ㄩㄢ ㄉㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Yuandú
    • Wade–Giles: Yüan¹-tu²
    • Yale: Ywān-dú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Iuandwu
    • Palladius: Юаньду (Juanʹdu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɥɛn⁵⁵ tu³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gyun¹ duk¹ / jyun⁴ duk¹ / gyun¹ duk⁶
    • Yale: gyūn dūk / yùhn dūk / gyūn duhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gyn¹ duk⁷ / jyn⁴ duk⁷ / gyn¹ duk⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gün¹ dug¹ / yun⁴ dug¹ / gün¹ dug⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kyːn⁵⁵ tʊk̚⁵/, /jyːn²¹ tʊk̚⁵/, /kyːn⁵⁵ tʊk̚²/

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• Middle Chinese: syin dowk

Rime
Character	身	毒
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)	定 (7)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	沃 (6)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	失人切	徒沃切
Baxter	syin	dowk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiɪn/	/duok̚/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕin/	/duok̚/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjen/	/dok̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕin/	/dawk̚/
Li Rong	/ɕiĕn/	/dok̚/
Wang Li	/ɕĭĕn/	/duok̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi̯ĕn/	/dʱuok̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shēn	dú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	san1	duk6

Proper noun

身毒

1. (literary, obsolete) India

Synonyms

• 天竺 (Tiānzhú), 賢豆／贤豆 (Xiándòu), 狷篤／狷笃, 乾篤／干笃
• (modern) 印度 (Yìndù)

Related terms

• 天竺 (Tiānzhú)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (身毒):

• → Japanese: 身毒(しんどく) (Shindoku)
• → Korean: 연독(身毒) (Yeondok), 건독(身毒) (Geondok), 신독(身毒) (Sindok)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
身	毒
しん Grade: 3	どく Grade: 5
on'yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 身毒 (MC syin dowk).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɕĩndo̞kɯ̟]

Proper noun

身(しん)毒(どく) • (Shindoku) 

1. (rare, obsolete) the Chinese term used to refer to India; India

See also

• インド (indo)
• 天竺(てんじく) (tenjiku)