黃河

See also: 黄河

Chinese

		yellow	river
trad. (黃河)		黃	河
simp. (黄河)		黄	河

Etymology

The large amount of sand in the river makes the river appear yellow.

Earliest extant authentic attestions of 黃河 are in Pei Songzhi's Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms [5th century CE]:

• 《魏氏春秋》載紹檄州郡文曰：「……大軍汎黃河以角其前，荊州下宛葉而犄其後……」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

  ---

  《魏氏春秋》载绍檄州郡文曰：「……大军泛黄河以角其前，荆州下宛叶而犄其后……」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

  From: Pei Songzhi, Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 5^th century CE

  “Wèishì Chūnqiū” zǎi Shào xí zhōujùn wén yuē: “...... Dàjūn fàn Huánghé yǐ jué qí qián, Jīngzhōu xià wǎn yè ér jī qí hòu......” [Pinyin]

  In Weishi Chunqiu, (Yuan) Shao's exhortation to the provinces and commanderies is recorded thus: “[...] my main armies sail across the Yellow River to assail his (Cao Cao's) front, and the Jing province's troops descend on Wan and Ye to attack his rear, [...]”

• 《獻帝傳》曰：……授臨濟歎曰：「上盈其志，下務其功，悠悠黃河，吾其反乎？」 [Literary Chinese, trad.]

  ---

  《献帝传》曰：……授临济叹曰：「上盈其志，下务其功，悠悠黄河，吾其反乎？」 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

  From: Pei Songzhi, Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 5^th century CE

  “Xiàndì zhuàn” yuē:...... Shòu lín jì tàn yuē: “Shàng yíng qí zhì, xià wù qí gōng, yōuyōu Huánghé, wú qí fǎn hū?” [Pinyin]

  In Account of Emperor Xian, it's said: [...] (Ju) Shou looked over the ford, sighed, and said: “Above filled with ambition, below obsessed with achievements. O everlasting Yellow River, shall I return?”

Lee (2004) and Hargett (2021) propose that the earliest occurrence of 黃河 is in Book of Han 16.527 [1st century CE]; yet Wang Niansun (王念孫) (1831) stated that the letter 黃 there was a later interpolation.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): Huáng Hé

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄜˊ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): Хуонхә (Huonhə, I-I)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wong⁴ ho⁴

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): vong³ ho³

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Vòng-hò
• Eastern Min (BUC): Uòng-ò̤
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Hông-hô / N̂g-hô / Ûiⁿ-hô

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ng⁵ ho⁵

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶waon-wu₆ / ²waon-ghou₂

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Huáng Hé
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄏㄜˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Huáng Hé
    • Wade–Giles: Huang² Ho²
    • Yale: Hwáng Hé
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Hwang Her
    • Palladius: Хуан Хэ (Xuan Xɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ xɤ³⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: Хуонхә (Huonhə, I-I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xuɑŋ²⁴ xə²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wong⁴ ho⁴
    • Yale: wòhng hòh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wong⁴ ho⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: wong⁴ ho⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɔːŋ²¹ hɔː²¹/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: vong³ ho³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /vɔŋ²² hᵘɔ²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Vòng-hò
    • Hakka Romanization System: vong^ˇ ho^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vong² ho²
    • Sinological IPA: /voŋ¹¹ ho¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Uòng-ò̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /uoŋ⁵³⁻³³ ^(Ø-)ŋo⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hông-hô
    • Tâi-lô: Hông-hô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: honghooi
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³⁻³³ hɤ²³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ho²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: N̂g-hô
    • Tâi-lô: N̂g-hô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: nghooi
    • IPA (Taipei): /ŋ̍²⁴⁻¹¹ ho²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou): /ŋ̍²⁴⁻²² ho²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ŋ̍²³⁻³³ hɤ²³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Ûiⁿ-hô
    • Tâi-lô: Uînn-hô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: vui'hooi
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /uĩ¹³⁻²² ho¹³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ng⁵ ho⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: n̂g hô
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ho⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶waon-wu₆
    • MiniDict: waon^去 wu^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhuaan-hhu₃
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦuɑ̃²² ɦu⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ²waon-ghou₂
    • MiniDict: waon^平 ghou^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ɦuɑ̃²² ɦəu³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: hwang ha

Rime
Character	黃	河
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	唐 (102)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	胡光切	胡歌切
Baxter	hwang	ha
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦwɑŋ/	/ɦɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/ɦɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦwaŋ/	/ɦa/
Li Rong	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣɑ/
Wang Li	/ɣuɑŋ/	/ɣɑ/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣwɑŋ/	/ɣɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	huáng	hé
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wong4	ho4

Proper noun

黃河

1. the Yellow River

   • 黃河洋洋，悠悠之魚，臨津不濟。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     黄河洋洋，悠悠之鱼，临津不济。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 3th century, 孔叢子 (Kǒngcóngzǐ) (The Many Kong Family Master's Anthology), attributed to 孔鮒 (Kong Fu)

     Huánghé yángyáng, yōuyōu zhī yú, lín jīn bù jì. [Pinyin]

     The Yellow River is spacious; its fishes are numerous; I came to the ford yet did not cross.

   • 君不見黃河之水天上來，奔流到海不復回。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君不见黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复回。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 752, 李白 (Li Bai), 將進酒

     Jūn bùjiàn Huánghé zhī shuǐ tiānshàng lái, bēnliú dào hǎi bù fùhuí. [Pinyin]

     Have you not seen that the waters of the Yellow River come from the sky, surging into the ocean, never to return again.

Synonyms

• 河 (hé) (archaic)

Derived terms

• 不到黃河心不死／不到黄河心不死 (bù dào Huánghé xīn bù sǐ)
• 廢黃河／废黄河
• 黃河百害，唯富一套／黄河百害，唯富一套 (Huáng Hé bǎi hài, wéi fù yī tào)
• 黃河路／黄河路 (Huánghélù)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (黃河):

• → Japanese: 黄(こう)河(が) (Kōga)
• → Korean: 황하(黃河) (Hwangha)
• → Vietnamese: Hoàng Hà (黃河)

Others:

• → Arabic: خْوَانْغْخِي (ḵwānḡḵī), هْوَانْغْهِي (hwānḡhī), اَلنَّهْر اَلْأَصْفَر (an-nahr al-ʔaṣfar) (calque)
• → Armenian: Հուանհե (Huanhe)
• → Czech: Chuang-che, Žlutá řeka (calque)
• → Dutch: Hoangho, Gele Rivier (calque)
• → English: Huang He, Huang Ho, Hwang Ho, Yellow River (calque)
• → Finnish: Keltainenjoki (calque)
• → French: Huang He, Houang-Ho, fleuve Jaune (calque)
• → German: Huang He, Gelber Fluss (calque)
• → Greek: Κίτρινος Ποταμός (Kítrinos Potamós) (calque)
• → Hindi: ह्वांगहो (hvāṅgho)
• → Hungarian: Sárga-folyó (calque)
• → Italian: Huang He, Fiume Giallo (calque)
• → Korean: 황허 (Hwangheo)
• → Malay: Sungai Kuning (calque)
• ⇒ Manchu: ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩ
  ᡥᠣ
  ᠪᡳᡵᠠ (hūwang ho bira)
• → Mongolian: Шар мөрөн (Šar mörön) (calque)
• → Mangghuer: xira muroon (calque)
• → Persian: رود زرد (calque)
• → Polish: Rzeka Żółta (calque)
• → Portuguese: Huang He, Rio Amarelo (calque)
• → Russian: Хуанхэ́ (Xuanxɛ́), Жёлтая река́ (Žóltaja reká) (calque)
• → Spanish: Huang He, río Amarillo (calque)
• → Tagalog: Ilog na Dilaw (calque)
• → Uyghur: سېرىق دەريا (sëriq derya) (calque)
• ⇒ Zhuang: Dahvangzhoz

See also

• 淮河 (Huái Hé)
• 濟水／济水 (Jǐ Shuǐ)
• 四瀆／四渎 (Sì Dú)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
黃	河
こう Jinmeiyō	が Grade: 5
on'yomi

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

【黄河こうが】 [proper noun] the Yellow River (a river in China)

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

Korean

Hanja in this term
黃	河

Proper noun

黃河 • (Hwangha) (hangeul 황하)

1. hanja form^? of 황하 (“Yellow River”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
黃	河

Proper noun

黃河

1. chữ Hán form of Hoàng Hà (“Yellow River”).