衛生

See also: 衞生 and 卫生

Chinese

		to guard; to protect; to defend to guard; to protect; to defend; surname	to be born; to give birth; life to be born; to give birth; life; to grow; student; raw
trad. (衛生/衞生)		衛/衞	生
simp. (卫生)		卫	生

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wèishēng

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wai⁶ sang¹
• Gan (Wiktionary): ui⁵ sen
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): vi-sên
• Eastern Min (BUC): uôi-sĕng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): e⁵ seng¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): ōe-seng / ōe-sng / ūi-seng

  (Teochew, Peng'im): uê⁶ sên¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶we-sen

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wèishēng
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wèisheng
    • Wade–Giles: wei⁴-shêng¹
    • Yale: wèi-shēng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weysheng
    • Palladius: вэйшэн (vɛjšɛn)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹ ʂɤŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wai⁶ sang¹
    • Yale: waih sāng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁶ sang¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: wei⁶ seng¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯²² sɐŋ⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: ui⁵ sen
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui¹¹ sɛn¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vi-sên
    • Hakka Romanization System: vi sen^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vi⁴ sen¹
    • Sinological IPA: /vi⁵⁵ sen²⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: uôi-sĕng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui²⁴²⁻⁵⁵ ^(s-)lɛiŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: e⁵ seng¹ [Phonetic: e⁵ leng¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /e²¹ ^(ɬ-)lɛŋ⁵³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ōe-seng
    • Tâi-lô: uē-sing
    • Phofsit Daibuun: oexsefng
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /ue²²⁻²¹ siɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ue³³⁻²¹ siɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ue³³⁻¹¹ siɪŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ōe-sng
    • Tâi-lô: uē-sng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: oexsngf
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /ue⁴¹⁻²² sŋ̍³³/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ūi-seng
    • Tâi-lô: uī-sing
    • Phofsit Daibuun: uixsefng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui³³⁻²¹ siɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ui³³⁻¹¹ siɪŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: uê⁶ sên¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: uĕ seⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ue³⁵⁻¹¹ sẽ³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶we-sen
    • MiniDict: we^去 sen
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhue-sen
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦue²² sən⁴⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: hjwejH sraeng

Rime
Character	衛	生
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	云 (35)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	祭 (38)	庚 (109)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	II
Fanqie	于歲切	所庚切
Baxter	hjwejH	sraeng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠiuᴇiH/	/ʃˠæŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷᵚieiH/	/ʃᵚaŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuæiH/	/ʃaŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦjwiajH/	/ʂaɨjŋ/
Li Rong	/ɣjuɛiH/	/ʃɐŋ/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwɛiH/	/ʃɐŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/i̯wɛiH/	/ʂɐŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi	shēng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai6	sang1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷ(r)a[t]-s  sreŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷads  sʰleːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	衛	生
Reading #	1/1	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wèi	shēng
Middle Chinese	‹ hjwejH ›	‹ sræng ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɢ]ʷ(r)a[t]-s/	/*sreŋ/ (MC srj- > sr-; or *s.reŋ ?)
English	to guard	bear, be born; live
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	衛	生
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	12964	11312
Phonetic component	衛	生
Rime group	祭	耕
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	衞	生
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷads/	/*sʰleːŋ/
Notes	金文象四圍巡衛， 與韋有異

Noun

衛生

1. hygiene; sanitation; health

   講究衛生／讲究卫生  ―  jiǎngjiu wèishēng  ―  to pay attention to hygiene

   衛生用品／卫生用品  ―  wèishēng yòngpǐn  ―  toiletries

   女性衛生用品／女性卫生用品  ―  nǚxìng wèishēng yòngpǐn  ―  feminine hygiene products

   衛生條件／卫生条件  ―  wèishēng tiáojiàn  ―  sanitary conditions; hygiene

2. healthcare

   社區衛生服務中心 [MSC, trad.]
   社区卫生服务中心 [MSC, simp.]

   shèqū wèishēng fúwù zhōngxīn [Pinyin]

   community healthcare center

3. cleaning

   搞衛生／搞卫生  ―  gǎo wèishēng  ―  to do cleaning

Adjective

衛生

1. hygienic

   這個旅店不是很衛生。 [MSC, trad.]
   这个旅店不是很卫生。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhège lǚdiàn bùshì hěn wèishēng. [Pinyin]

   This hotel is not very hygienic.

Synonyms

edit

• 不髒／不脏 (bù zāng)
• 乾淨／干净 (gānjìng)
• 清淨／清净 (qīngjìng)
• 清潔／清洁 (qīngjié)
• 潔淨／洁净 (jiéjìng)
• 澈潔／澈洁 (táh-gáik) (Eastern Min)

 

Verb

衛生

1. (Classical) to care for life

   • 老子曰：「衛生之經，能抱一乎？能勿失乎？能無卜筮而知吉凶乎？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     老子曰：「卫生之经，能抱一乎？能勿失乎？能无卜筮而知吉凶乎？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Zhuangzi, circa 3^rd – 2^nd centuries BCE

     Lǎozǐ yuē: “Wèishēng zhī jīng, néng bào yī hū? Néng wù shī hū? Néng wú bǔshì ér zhī jíxiōng hū?” [Pinyin]

     Laozi said: “As to how to preserve your life, you just ask yourself these questions: Can you remain pure and simple? Can you preserve your inborn nature? Can you tell your fortune without divination?”

Derived terms

• 世界衛生組織／世界卫生组织 (Shìjiè Wèishēng Zǔzhī)
• 個人衛生／个人卫生 (gèrén wèishēng)
• 公共衛生／公共卫生 (gōnggòng wèishēng)
• 口腔衛生／口腔卫生 (kǒuqiāng wèishēng)
• 心理衛生／心理卫生 (xīnlǐ wèishēng)
• 搞衛生／搞卫生 (gǎo wèishēng)
• 精神衛生／精神卫生 (jīngshén wèishēng)
• 衛教／卫教 (wèijiào)
• 衛生保健／卫生保健 (wèishēng bǎojiàn)
• 衛生員／卫生员 (wèishēngyuán)
• 衛生套／卫生套 (wèishēngtào)
• 衛生巾／卫生巾 (wèishēngjīn)
• 衛生棉條／卫生棉条 (wèishēng miántiáo)
• 衛生紙／卫生纸 (wèishēngzhǐ)
• 衛生設備／卫生设备 (wèishēng shèbèi)
• 衛生間／卫生间 (wèishēngjiān)
• 衛生院／卫生院 (wèishēngyuàn)

 

Further reading

• “Entry #11393”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
衛	生
えい Grade: 5	せい Grade: 1
kan'on

Alternative spelling
衞生 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Literary Chinese 衛生 (wèishēng, “to maintain or sustain life, your own or others'; to protect your health from illnesses”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) えーせー [èéséé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [e̞ːse̞ː]

Noun

衛(えい)生(せい) • (eisei) ^{←ゑいせい (weisei)?}

1. hygiene; sanitation

Descendants

• → Chinese: 衛生／卫生 (wèishēng)
• → Korean: 위생 (wisaeng)
• → Vietnamese: vệ sinh

Korean

Hanja in this term
衛	生

Noun

衛生 • (wisaeng) (hangeul 위생)

1. hanja form^? of 위생 (“hygiene”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
衛	生

Noun

衛生

1. chữ Hán form of vệ sinh (“hygiene”).