摩訶

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (摩訶)		摩	訶
simp. (摩诃)		摩	诃
alternative forms		莫訶／莫诃摩醯

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit महा (mahā), itself the combining form of महत् (mahat, “great”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): móhē

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄛˊ ㄏㄜ
Cantonese (Jyutping): mo¹ ho¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: móhē
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄛˊ ㄏㄜ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: móhe
  - Wade–Giles: mo²-ho¹
  - Yale: mwó-hē
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mohe
  - Palladius: мохэ (moxɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mu̯ɔ³⁵ xɤ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: mo¹ ho¹
  - Yale: mō hō
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mo¹ ho¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: mo¹ ho¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɔː⁵⁵ hɔː⁵⁵/

Middle Chinese: ma xa

Rime
Character	摩	訶
Reading #	1/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	曉 (32)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	莫婆切	虎何切
Baxter	ma	xa
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muɑ/	/hɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/muɑ/	/hɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/muɑ/	/xɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwa/	/ha/
Li Rong	/muɑ/	/xɑ/
Wang Li	/muɑ/	/xɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/muɑ/	/xɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mó	hē
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mo⁴	ho¹

Adjective

摩訶

(Buddhism, chiefly as a prefix) maha; great
- 釋門慈憫古來多，正善成功說摩訶。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  释门慈悯古来多，正善成功说摩诃。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16^th century CE
  Shìmén címǐn gǔlái duō, zhèng shàn chénggōng shuō móhē. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

摩訶婆羅多 / 摩诃婆罗多 (Móhēpóluóduō)
摩訶羅 / 摩诃罗 (móhēluó)
摩訶般若波羅蜜多心經 / 摩诃般若波罗蜜多心经 (Móhē Bōrě Bōluómìduō Xīnjīng)
摩訶薩埵 / 摩诃萨埵 (móhēsàduǒ)
摩訶衍 / 摩诃衍 (Móhēyǎn)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
摩	訶
ま Grade: S	か Hyōgai
on'yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 摩訶 (MC ma xa), in turn a borrowing from Sanskrit महा (mahā),^[1]^[2] itself the combining form of महत् (mahat, “great”).

First cited in Japanese to the 824 Buddhist text 大日経開題 (Dainichikyō Kaidai), a commentary written by 弘法大師 (Kōbō Daishi, also known as Kūkai) on the 大毘盧遮那成仏神変加持経 (Dai Birushana Jōbutsu Jinben Kaji Kyō, “Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) まか [máꜜkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[3]
IPA^(key): [ma̠ka̠]

Noun

摩(ま)訶(か) • (maka)

[from 824] (Buddhism) something great, something excellent (used as an epithet with regard to people or things)

Derived terms

摩(ま)訶(か)不(ふ)思(し)議(ぎ) (maka fushigi, “mysterious, profound mystery”)

Prefix

摩(ま)訶(か) or 摩訶(マカ) • (maka-)

[from 824] (Buddhism) great, excellent (used as an epithet on the names of people or things)

Derived terms

摩(ま)訶(か)般(はん)若(にゃ)波(は)羅(ら)蜜(みっ)多(た)心(しん)経(ぎょう) (Maka Hannya Haramitta Shingyō, “Heart Sutra”)
摩(ま)訶(か)毘(び)盧(る)遮(しゃ)那(な) (Makabirushana, “Mahāvairocana”)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 “摩訶”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ “摩訶”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
摩	訶

Noun

摩訶 • (maha) (hangeul 마하)

hanja form^? of 마하 (“(Buddhism, chiefly as a prefix) greatness”)