Chinese

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up; on; on top
up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up
 
exhausted; poor sky; blue sky
under; next; lower
under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter
 
yellow spring; underground spring; underworld
yellow spring; underground spring; underworld; the land of the dead
 
trad. (上窮碧落下黃泉) 碧落 黃泉
simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉) 碧落 黄泉
Literally: “(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).”

Etymology

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From the Song of Everlasting Regret in 806 CE, by poet Bai Juyi:

碧落黃泉茫茫 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
碧落黄泉茫茫 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: 806 CE, Bai Juyi, Song of Everlasting Regret
Shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bù jiàn. [Pinyin]
The priest searched thoroughly up in the blue beyond, as well as down in the Yellow Springs below the earth, but did not spot her (Yang Guifei) in the vastness of either place.

Pronunciation

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Rime
Character
Reading # 1/2 1/1 1/1 1/1 2/2 1/1 1/1
Initial () (25) (30) (1) (37) (33) (33) (15)
Final () (105) (2) (124) (103) (98) (102) (78)
Tone (調) Rising (X) Level (Ø) Checked (Ø) Checked (Ø) Departing (H) Level (Ø) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open Closed Open Open Closed Closed
Division () III III III I II I III
Fanqie
Baxter dzyangX gjuwng pjiek lak haeH hwang dzjwen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/d͡ʑɨɐŋX/ /ɡɨuŋ/ /pwiᴇk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɦˠaH/ /ɦwɑŋ/ /d͡ziuᴇn/
Pan
Wuyun
/d͡ʑiɐŋX/ /ɡiuŋ/ /pʷiɛk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɦᵚaH/ /ɦʷɑŋ/ /d͡zʷiɛn/
Shao
Rongfen
/d͡ʑiɑŋX/ /ɡiuŋ/ /piuæk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɣaH/ /ɣuɑŋ/ /d͡zjuæn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/d͡ʑɨaŋX/ /guwŋ/ /pwiajk̚/ /lak̚/ /ɦaɨH/ /ɦwaŋ/ /d͡zwian/
Li
Rong
/ʑiaŋX/ /ɡiuŋ/ /piuɛk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɣaH/ /ɣuɑŋ/ /d͡ziuɛn/
Wang
Li
/ʑĭaŋX/ /ɡĭuŋ/ /pĭwɛk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɣaH/ /ɣuɑŋ/ /d͡zĭwɛn/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/ʑi̯aŋX/ /gi̯uŋ/ /pi̯wɛk̚/ /lɑk̚/ /ɣaH/ /ɣwɑŋ/ /d͡zʱi̯wɛn/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
shàng qióng bi luò xià huáng quán
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
soeng6 kung4 bik1 lok6 haa6 wong4 cyun4

Idiom

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上窮碧落下黃泉

  1. to search high and low