人妖

Chinese

		man; person; people	goblin; witch; devil goblin; witch; devil; bewitching; enchanting; monster; phantom
trad. (人妖)		人	妖
simp. #(人妖)		人	妖
anagram		妖人

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rényāo

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄠ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ jiu² / jan⁴ jiu¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): jîn-iau / lîn-iau

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rényāo
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄠ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rényao
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-yao¹
    • Yale: rén-yāu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: reniau
    • Palladius: жэньяо (žɛnʹjao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ jiu² / jan⁴ jiu¹
    • Yale: yàhn yíu / yàhn yīu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ jiu² / jan⁴ jiu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ yiu² / yen⁴ yiu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ jiːu̯³⁵/, /jɐn²¹ jiːu̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jîn-iau
    • Tâi-lô: jîn-iau
    • Phofsit Daibuun: jin'iaw
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡zin¹³⁻²² iau⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /zin²³⁻³³ iau⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lîn-iau
    • Tâi-lô: lîn-iau
    • Phofsit Daibuun: lin'iaw
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lin²⁴⁻²² iau³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lin²⁴⁻²² iau⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lin²⁴⁻¹¹ iau⁴⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: nyin 'jew

Rime
Character	人	妖
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	日 (38)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	宵 (92)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	如鄰切	於喬切
Baxter	nyin	'jew
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ȵiɪn/	/ʔˠiᴇu/
Pan Wuyun	/ȵin/	/ʔᵚiɛu/
Shao Rongfen	/ȵʑjen/	/ʔiæu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ȵin/	/ʔiaw/
Li Rong	/ȵiĕn/	/ʔjɛu/
Wang Li	/ȵʑĭĕn/	/ĭɛu/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȵʑi̯ĕn/	/ʔi̯ɛu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	rén	yāo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jan4	jiu1

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*njin  qrow/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	人
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	rén
Middle Chinese	‹ nyin ›
Old Chinese	/*ni[ŋ]/
English	(other) person
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	人	妖
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	10800	14627
Phonetic component	人	夭
Rime group	眞	宵
Rime subdivision	1	3
Corresponding MC rime	仁	妖
Old Chinese	/*njin/	/*qrow/

Noun

人妖

1. (Classical, derogatory) man-made disaster

   • 夫萬物之有災，人妖最可畏也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     夫万物之有灾，人妖最可畏也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Han shi waizhuan, 1^nd century BCE

     Fū wànwù zhī yǒu zāi, rényāo zuì kěwèi yě. [Pinyin]

     Among all disasters of everything, man-made disasters are the most fearable.

   alt. forms: 人祅 (rényāo)

2. (derogatory) bad person

   • 識別人妖——目光如電！ [MSC, trad.]
     识别人妖——目光如电！ [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1976 October 10, 何玉锁 (He Yusuo), 《手捧金芒果　怀念毛主席》, in People's Daily, →ISSN

     Shíbié rényāo — mùguāng rú diàn! [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 人妖和病魔 / 奪去了敬愛的周總理 [MSC, trad.]
     人妖和病魔 / 夺去了敬爱的周总理 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1977 January 5, 张志民 (Zhang Zhimin), 《周总理呵，就在我们身旁！》, in People's Daily, →ISSN

     rényāo hé bìngmó  /  duóqù le jìng'ài de Zhōu zǒnglǐ [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 許以高官厚禄，利誘他向人妖效忠，他不動！ [MSC, trad.]
     许以高官厚禄，利诱他向人妖效忠，他不动！ [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1978 January, Xu Chi, 《哥德巴赫猜想》 [Goldbach's conjecture], in People's Literature, →ISSN

     Xǔ yǐ gāoguānhòulù, lìyòu tā xiàng rényāo xiàozhōng, tā bùdòng! [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. (Classical, derogatory) strange person

   • 人有生而白毛者，近人妖也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Ming Dynasty, 謝肇淛, 《五雜組》

     Rén yǒu shēng ér bái máo zhě, jìn rényāo yě. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

4. (derogatory, offensive) tranny (a transsexual, transgender, or transvestite person, usually a trans woman); shemale

   泰國人妖／泰国人妖  ―  Tàiguó rényāo  ―  kathoey

   • 東陽女子婁逞變服詐為丈夫[…]此人妖也。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     东阳女子娄逞变服诈为丈夫[…]此人妖也。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: 659 CE, Li Dashi and Li Yanshou, History of the Southern Dynasties

     Dōngyáng nǚzǐ Lóu Chěng biànfú zhà wèi zhàngfū […] cǐ rényāo yě. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 還有外國低級下流的文藝團體表演的女子摔跤、肚皮舞、脫衣舞，甚至「人妖」（按：即男扮女裝的男色）亮相等，「極盡其挑逗、淫穢之能事」。 [MSC, trad.]
     还有外国低级下流的文艺团体表演的女子摔跤、肚皮舞、脱衣舞，甚至「人妖」（按：即男扮女装的男色）亮相等，「极尽其挑逗、淫秽之能事」。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1982 October 8, 傅君廉 (Fu Junlian), 《台湾社会问题一瞥》, in People's Daily, →ISSN

     Háiyǒu wàiguó dījí xiàliú de wényì tuántǐ biǎoyǎn de nǚzǐ shuāijiāo, dùpíwǔ, tuōyīwǔ, shènzhì “rényāo” (àn: jí nánbànnǚzhuāng de nánsè) liàngxiàng děng, “jíjìn qí tiǎodòu, yínhuì zhī néngshì”. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 做完手術後，燕燕「覺得自己終於變成了女人，但是周圍的人還是把你當做人妖看，包括我現在去游泳我都不敢說話，因為我怕我說話後別人用另一種眼光看我，包括我去洗手間我都不敢接電話，我怕有人把我弄到警察局。[…]」 [MSC, trad.]
     做完手术后，燕燕「觉得自己终于变成了女人，但是周围的人还是把你当做人妖看，包括我现在去游泳我都不敢说话，因为我怕我说话后别人用另一种眼光看我，包括我去洗手间我都不敢接电话，我怕有人把我弄到警察局。[…]」 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2018, United Nations Development Programme, China Women's University, 《跨性别者性别认同的法律承认：中国相关法律和政策的评估报告》, page 33

     Zuòwán shǒushù hòu, Yànyàn “juéde zìjǐ zhōngyú biànchéng le nǚrén, dànshì zhōuwéi de rén háishì bǎ nǐ dāngzuò rényāo kàn, bāokuò wǒ xiànzài qù yóuyǒng wǒ dōu bùgǎn shuōhuà, yīnwèi wǒ pà wǒ shuōhuà hòu biérén yòng lìng yī zhǒng yǎnguāng kàn wǒ, bāokuò wǒ qù xǐshǒujiān wǒ dōu bùgǎn jiē diànhuà, wǒ pà yǒurén bǎ wǒ nòng dào jǐngchájú. […]” [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see 人 (rén),‎ 妖 (yāo): human and monster

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 變性人 (“transsexual person”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		變性人
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	變性人, 人妖
	Singapore	人妖
Southwestern Mandarin	Lancang	人妖
	Dagudi (Maliba)	กะเทย, 變性人, 人妖, 二姨媽
	Reshuitang (Longling)	กะเทย, 變性人, 人妖
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	人妖, กะเทย
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	人妖, กะเทย
Cantonese	Guangzhou	人妖
	Hong Kong	變性人, 人妖
	Rongxian	人妖
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	人妖
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	人妖
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	人妖
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	人妖
	Móng Cái	變性人
	Bangkok (Guangfu)	人妖, กะเทย
	Betong (Rongxian)	人妖, กะเทย
Hakka	Meixian	變性人
	Bangkok (Meixian)	人妖
	Bangkok (Jiexi)	人妖, กะเทย, ตุ๊ด
Southern Min	Singapore (Hokkien)	阿倌 male to female
	Bangkok (Teochew)	人妖, 半男女, กะเทย
	Chiang Mai (Teochew)	人妖
	Hat Yai (Teochew)	人妖
	Pontianak (Teochew)	半公母