桂馬

Japanese

From Middle Chinese-derived elements 桂 (kei, “Chinese cinnamon, laurel”) +‎ 馬 (ma, “horse”). 桂 was originally pronounced くゑい (kwei) from Middle Chinese kwejH.

桂(けい)馬(ま) • (keima)

(shogi) a cassia or laurelled horse (piece that can move two spaces forward then one space left or right), erroneously called in most literature as the equivalent of the “knight” in Western chess^[3]
Synonym: 桂 (kei)
(by extension of the cassia horse’s movement) a quibble, sophistry, or other incoherent argument
Synonym: 屁理屈 (herikutsu)
(go) a stone placed orthogonally similar to how a keima in shogi or knight in Western chess moves from another stone of the same color
1. such a move with one stone is called a 小桂馬 (shō-geima)
2. such a move done with two stones (may be in succession) is called a 大桂馬 (dai-geima)

桂(けい)馬(ま)の高(たか)上(あ)がり (keima no takaagari, “reckless move of a keima → going up to an unsuitable status can lead to a negative outcome”)

^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

Shogi pieces (将棋の駒)
Unpromoted (生駒)	name	王将玉将	金将	銀将	桂馬	香車	飛車	角行	歩兵
Unpromoted (生駒)	abbr.	王玉	金	銀	桂	香	飛	角	歩
Promoted (成駒)	name	-	-	成銀	成桂	成香	竜王	竜馬	と金, 成歩
Promoted (成駒)	abbr.	-	-	全^*	圭^*	杏^*	竜	馬	と, 止
^*These 3 abbreviations are only used as a typographical convention. They are pronounced the same as their full names.