明眸皓齒

Chinese

		bright eyes	white teeth
trad. (明眸皓齒)		明眸	皓齒
simp. (明眸皓齿)		明眸	皓齿

Etymology

Coined by Du Fu in his poem, first attested in 757:

明眸皓齒今何在？血污遊魂歸不得！ [Literary Chinese, trad.]

明眸皓齿今何在？血污游魂归不得！ [Literary Chinese, simp.]

From: c. 757, 杜甫,《哀江頭》(Mourning by the Winding River), tr. Wu Juntao (吴钧陶)

Míngmóuhàochǐ jīn hézài? Xuèwū yóuhún guī bùdé! [Pinyin]

Where are the beaming eyes and the white teeth now, I wonder?
Unable to go home, the bleeding ghost can only wander!

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): míngmóuhàochǐ

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄇㄡˊ ㄏㄠˋ ㄔˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: míngmóuhàochǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄇㄡˊ ㄏㄠˋ ㄔˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: míngmóuhàochǐh
  - Wade–Giles: ming²-mou²-hao⁴-chʻih³
  - Yale: míng-móu-hàu-chř
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingmouhawchyy
  - Palladius: минмоухаочи (minmouxaoči)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ moʊ̯³⁵ xɑʊ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Middle Chinese: mjaeng mjuw hawX tsyhiX

Rime
Character	明	眸	皓	齒
Reading #	1/1	1/1	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	明 (4)	匣 (33)	昌 (24)
Final (韻)	庚 (111)	尤 (136)	豪 (89)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III	I	III
Fanqie	武兵切	莫浮切	胡老切	昌里切
Baxter	mjaeng	mjuw	hawX	tsyhiX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mˠiæŋ/	/mɨu/	/ɦɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰɨ^X/
Pan Wuyun	/mᵚiaŋ/	/miu/	/ɦɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰɨ^X/
Shao Rongfen	/miaŋ/	/miəu/	/ɣɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰie^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/miajŋ/	/muw/	/ɦaw^X/	/cʰɨ^X/
Li Rong	/miɐŋ/	/miu/	/ɣɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰiə^X/
Wang Li	/mĭɐŋ/	/mĭəu/	/ɣɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰĭə^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mi̯ɐŋ/	/mi̯ə̯u/	/ɣɑu^X/	/t͡ɕʰi^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	míng	móu	hào	chǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ming⁴	mau⁴	hou⁶	ci²

Idiom

明眸皓齒

to have clear bright eyes and gleaming white teeth (describing a beauty)
- 薰天意氣連宮掖，明眸皓齒無人惜。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  薰天意气连宫掖，明眸皓齿无人惜。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: c. 1652, 吳偉業,《圓圓曲》
  Xūntiān yìqì lián gōngyē, míngmóuhàochǐ wúrén xī. [Pinyin]
  Her bitterness ascended as high as the skies,
  But no one pitied her pearly teeth, her crystal eyes.