逍遙

Chinese

	phonetic
trad. (逍遙)	逍	遙
simp. (逍遥)	逍	遥
alternative forms	逍搖／逍摇消遙／消遥消搖／消摇

Etymology

A reduplicative ideophonic word, originally meaning “to walk leisurely”. As a concept in Chinese philosophy, xiaoyao was featured prominently in the ancient text of Zhuangzi. Compare the similar reduplicative formations of:

招搖 (OC *tjew lew, “to walk freely > to act pretentiously”)
優游 (OC *qu lu, “at leisure”)
夭紹 (OC *qrow djewʔ), 要紹 (OC *qew djewʔ, “lithe; relaxed”)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiāoyáo

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠㄧㄠˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): siu¹ jiu⁴
Eastern Min (BUC): siĕu-ièu
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): siau-iâu
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shiau-yau

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiāoyáo
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠㄧㄠˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siaoyáo
  - Wade–Giles: hsiao¹-yao²
  - Yale: syāu-yáu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiauyau
  - Palladius: сяояо (sjaojao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu¹ jiu⁴
  - Yale: sīu yìuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu¹ jiu⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu¹ yiu⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯⁵⁵ jiːu̯²¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: siĕu-ièu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sieu⁵⁵ ieu⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siau-iâu
  - Tâi-lô: siau-iâu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: siau'iaau
  - IPA (Xiamen): /siau⁴⁴⁻²² iau²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /siau³³ iau²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /siau⁴⁴⁻²² iau¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /siau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /siau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau²³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹shiau-yau
  - MiniDict: shiau^平 yau
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xiau-hhiau
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕiɔ⁵⁵ ɦiɔ²¹/

Middle Chinese: sjew yew

Rime
Character	逍	遙
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)	宵 (91)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	相邀切	餘昭切
Baxter	sjew	yew
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siᴇu/	/jiᴇu/
Pan Wuyun	/siɛu/	/jiɛu/
Shao Rongfen	/sjæu/	/jæu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siaw/	/jiaw/
Li Rong	/siɛu/	/iɛu/
Wang Li	/sĭɛu/	/jĭɛu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/si̯ɛu/	/i̯ɛu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiāo	yáo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu¹	jiu⁴

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*sew lew/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	逍
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiāo
Middle Chinese	‹ sjew ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]ew/
English	be at ease
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	逍	遙
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	13744	14705
Phonetic component	肖	謠
Rime group	宵	宵
Rime subdivision	2	3
Corresponding MC rime	宵	遙
Old Chinese	/*sew/	/*lew/

Verb

逍遙

(literary) to stroll relaxingly; to walk leisurely; to wander in a carefree manner; to saunter about
- 羔裘逍遙，狐裘以朝。豈不爾思，勞心忉忉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  羔裘逍遥，狐裘以朝。岂不尔思，劳心忉忉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Gāo qiú xiāoyáo, hú qiú yǐ cháo. Qǐ bù ěr sī, láoxīn dāodāo. [Pinyin]
  In your lamb's fur you saunter about;
  In your fox's fur you hold your court.
  How should I not think anxiously about you?
  My toiled heart is full of grief.
(literary) to pace back and forth; to dither
Synonyms: 走來走去／走来走去 (zǒuláizǒuqù), 躑躅／踯躅 (zhízhú), 踟躕／踟蹰 (chíchú), 徘徊, 盤桓／盘桓 (pánhuán), 彷徨 (pánghuáng), 盤旋／盘旋 (pánxuán)
(literary) to relish; to appreciate; to delight in

Adjective

逍遙

(often in Chinese philosophy) free and unfettered; carefree; untroubled
- 彷徨乎無為其側，逍遙乎寢臥其下？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  彷徨乎无为其侧，逍遥乎寝卧其下？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE
  Pánghuáng hū wú wéi qí cè, xiāoyáo hū qǐnwò qí xià? [Pinyin]
  […] There you might saunter idly by its side, or in the enjoyment of untroubled ease sleep beneath it.
- 以遊逍遙之虛，食於苟簡之田 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  以游逍遥之虚，食于苟简之田 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE
  yǐ yóu xiāoyáo zhī xū, shí yú gǒujiǎn zhī tián [Pinyin]
  Thus they rambled in the vacancy of Untroubled Ease, found their food in the fields of Indifference […]

Synonyms

edit

享受 (xiǎngshòu)
停當／停当 (tíngdàng) (literary)
好受 (hǎoshòu)
安怡 (ānyí) (literary)
安逸 (ānyì)
安適／安适 (ānshì)
安閒／安闲 (ānxián)
寫意／写意 (xièyì) (dialectal)
得勁／得劲 (déjìn) (chiefly Zhongyuan Mandarin, Jilu Mandarin)
快活 (Hokkien)
恬逸 (tiányì) (literary)
敞快 (chǎngkuai)
是味 (shìwèi)
滋潤／滋润 (zīrùn) (colloquial)
爽快 (shuǎngkuài)
爽適／爽适 (sōng-sék) (Eastern Min)
自在 (zìzai)
舒坦
舒心 (shūxīn)
舒服
舒適／舒适 (shūshì)
適意／适意 (shìyì)

Derived terms