上窮碧落下黃泉

See also: 上穷碧落下黄泉

Chinese

	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)	上	窮	碧落	下	黃泉
simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉)	上	穷	碧落	下	黄泉
Literally: “(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).”

Etymology

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

上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。 [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

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
(Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik¹ lok⁶ haa⁶ wong⁴ cyun⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shàng cyóng bìluò sià huángcyuán
  - Wade–Giles: shang⁴ chʻiung² pi⁴-lo⁴ hsia⁴ huang²-chʻüan²
  - Yale: shàng chyúng bì-lwò syà hwáng-chywán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanq chyong bihluoh shiah hwangchyuan
  - Palladius: шан цюн било ся хуанцюань (šan cjun bilo sja xuancjuanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰjʊŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lwɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕjä⁵¹ xwɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰɥɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik¹ lok⁶ haa⁶ wong⁴ cyun⁴
  - Yale: seuhng kùhng bīk lohk hah wòhng chyùhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: soeng⁶ kung⁴ bik⁷ lok⁹ haa⁶ wong⁴ tsyn⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: sêng⁶ kung⁴ big¹ log⁶ ha⁶ wong⁴ qun⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœːŋ²² kʰʊŋ²¹ pɪk̚⁵ lɔːk̚² haː²² wɔːŋ²¹ t͡ʃʰyːn²¹/

Middle Chinese: /d͡ʑɨɐŋ^X ɡɨuŋ pwiᴇk̚ lɑk̚ ɦˠa^H ɦwɑŋ d͡ziuᴇn/

Rime
Character	上	窮	碧	落	下	黃	泉
Reading #	1/2	1/1	1/1	1/1	2/2	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	常 (25)	群 (30)	幫 (1)	來 (37)	匣 (33)	匣 (33)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	陽 (105)	東 (2)	清 (124)	唐 (103)	麻 (98)	唐 (102)	仙 (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 (等)	III	III	III	I	II	I	III
Fanqie	時掌切	渠弓切	彼役切	盧各切	胡駕切	胡光切	疾緣切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ʑɨɐŋ^X/	/ɡɨuŋ/	/pwiᴇk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɦˠa^H/	/ɦwɑŋ/	/d͡ziuᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡ʑiɐŋ^X/	/ɡiuŋ/	/pʷiɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɦᵚa^H/	/ɦʷɑŋ/	/d͡zʷiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡ʑiɑŋ^X/	/ɡiuŋ/	/piuæk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣa^H/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zjuæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡ʑɨaŋ^X/	/guwŋ/	/pwiajk̚/	/lak̚/	/ɦaɨ^H/	/ɦwaŋ/	/d͡zwian/
Li Rong	/ʑiaŋ^X/	/ɡiuŋ/	/piuɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣa^H/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡ziuɛn/
Wang Li	/ʑĭaŋ^X/	/ɡĭuŋ/	/pĭwɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣa^H/	/ɣuɑŋ/	/d͡zĭwɛn/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʑi̯aŋ^X/	/gi̯uŋ/	/pi̯wɛk̚/	/lɑk̚/	/ɣa^H/	/ɣwɑŋ/	/d͡zʱi̯wɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shàng	qióng	bi	luò	xià	huáng	quán
Expected Cantonese Reflex	soeng⁶	kung⁴	bik¹	lok⁶	haa⁶	wong⁴	cyun⁴

Idiom

上窮碧落下黃泉

to search high and low
- 乃見桂英披髮仗劍，指罵：「王魁負義漢，我上窮碧落下黃泉，尋汝不見，汝卻在此。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  乃见桂英披发仗剑，指骂：“王魁负义汉，我上穷碧落下黄泉，寻汝不见，汝却在此。” [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Southern Song, 羅燁 (Luo Ye), 《醉翁談錄·卷二·王魁負心桂英死報》
  Nǎi jiàn Guìyīng pīfà zhàngjiàn, zhǐmà: “Wáng Kuí fùyìhàn, wǒ shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, xún rǔ bùjiàn, rǔ què zài cǐ.” [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this example)
- 我們不是讀書的人，我們只是上窮碧落下黃泉，動手動腳找東西。 [MSC, trad.]
  我们不是读书的人，我们只是上穷碧落下黄泉，动手动脚找东西。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1928, Fu Ssu-nien, 《歷史語言研究所工作之旨趣》 [The Aims of Founding the Institute of History and Philology]
  Wǒmen bùshì dúshū de rén, wǒmen zhǐshì shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, dòngshǒudòngjiǎo zhǎo dōngxī. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this example)