桑海

Chinese

		mulberry tree	ocean; sea
trad. (桑海)		桑	海
simp. ^#(桑海)		桑	海

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): sānghǎi

(Zhuyin): ㄙㄤㄏㄞˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): song¹ hoi²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: sānghǎi
  - Zhuyin: ㄙㄤㄏㄞˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sanghǎi
  - Wade–Giles: sang¹-hai³
  - Yale: sāng-hǎi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanghae
  - Palladius: санхай (sanxaj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: song¹ hoi²
  - Yale: sōng hói
  - Cantonese Pinyin: song¹ hoi²
  - Guangdong Romanization: song¹ hoi²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Etymology 1

Clipping of 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián, literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”).

Noun

桑海

(figuratively) changes in the world^[1]
- 萬事如桑海，悲來欲慟神。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  万事如桑海，悲来欲恸神。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 秋望興慶宮
  Wànshì rú sānghǎi, bēi lái yù tòng shén. [Pinyin]
  Everything changed so quickly, even God would feel my sadness

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English Songhai.

Proper noun

桑海

Any of a group of closely related languages or dialects centred on the middle stretches of the Niger River in West Africa, and used as a lingua franca in that region.
The Songhai Empire, a medieval West African Empire.

Derived terms

桑海帝國 / 桑海帝国
桑海語族 / 桑海语族

References

^ 桑海 [修訂本參考資料 - 成語檢視 - 教育部《成語典》]

Japanese

Kanji in this term
桑	海
そう Grade: S	かい Grade: 2
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
(kyūjitai)

Etymology

From the Chinese legend of 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián, literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) そーかい [sòókáí] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [so̞ːka̠i]

Noun

桑(そう)海(かい) • (sōkai) ^{←さうかい (saukai)^?}

(figuratively) changes in the world

See also

桑(そう)田(でん)滄(そう)海(かい) (sōdensōkai)
桑(そう)田(でん)変(へん)じて滄(そう)海(かい)となる (sōden henjite sōkai to naru)
滄(そう)海(かい)桑(そう)田(でん) (sōkaisōden)
滄(そう)海(かい)変(へん)じて桑(そう)田(でん)となる (sōkai henjite sōden to naru)
桑(そう)田(でん)碧(へき)海(かい) (sōdenhekikai)

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN