乒乓
Chinese
bing (onomat.) | bang (onomat.) | ||
---|---|---|---|
simp. and trad. (乒乓) | 乒 | 乓 |
Glyph origin
Graphical manipulations on 兵 (bīng, “soldier”).
Etymology
A similar-sounding onomatopoeia to the source character 兵 (bīng, “soldier”). First attested in Ming Dynasty and referred to the sound of collisions (for example, in 西遊記/西游记 (Xīyóujì, “Journey to the West”)). Later used as a translation of English ping pong.
Pronunciation
Noun
乒乓
- (onomatopoeia) Sound of collision; the sound made from the impact of an object.
- 忽擡頭,只見方丈門外有一個石獅子,卻就舉起棍來,乒乓一下,打得粉亂麻碎。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
- From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16th century CE
- Hū táitóu, zhǐ jiàn fāngzhàng ménwài yǒu yīge shíshīzǐ, què jiù jǔqǐ gùn lái, pīngpāng yīxià, dǎ de fěnluànmásuì. [Pinyin]
- Suddenly raising his head, all he saw was that outside the abbot's room's doors there was a stone guardian lion, but he just raised his stick, and with a clatter, smashed it into pieces.
忽抬头,只见方丈门外有一个石狮子,却就举起棍来,乒乓一下,打得粉乱麻碎。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
- (~球) table tennis; ping pong
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 乒乓球 (“table tennis; ping pong”) [map]
Variety | Location | Words edit |
---|---|---|
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 乒乓球, 乒球 contraction | |
Mandarin | Beijing | 乒乓球兒 |
Taiwan | 桌球, 乒乓球 | |
Harbin | 乒乓球兒 | |
Yantai (Muping) | 乒乓球兒 | |
Jinan | 乒乓球 | |
Wanrong | 乒乓球 | |
Xi'an | 乒乓球 | |
Yinchuan | 乒乓球 | |
Lanzhou | 乒乓球 | |
Ürümqi | 乒乓球 | |
Wuhan | 乒乓球 | |
Chengdu | 乒乓球, 乒乓 | |
Guiyang | 乒乓球 | |
Guilin | 乒乓球 | |
Yangzhou | 檯球 dated | |
Nanjing | 乒乓球, 檯球 dated | |
Singapore | 乒乓球 | |
Cantonese | Guangzhou | 乒乓波, 乒乓球 |
Hong Kong | 乒乓波 | |
Dongguan | 乒乓波 | |
Gan | Nanchang | 乒乓球 |
Lichuan | 乒乓球 | |
Pingxiang | 乒乓球 | |
Hakka | Meixian | 乒乓球, 檯球 dated, 桌球 dated |
Yudu | 檯球 | |
Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 乒乓球, 乒乓 | |
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 乒乓球, 乒乓 | |
Huizhou | Jixi | 乒乓球, 檯球 dated |
Jin | Taiyuan | 乒乓球 |
Xinzhou | 乒乓球 | |
Min Bei | Jian'ou | 乒乓球 |
Min Dong | Fuzhou | 乒乓球 |
Min Nan | Xiamen | 桌球 |
Quanzhou | 桌球 | |
Jinjiang | 桌球 | |
Zhangzhou | 桌球 | |
Taipei | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Kaohsiung | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Singapore (Hokkien) | 乒乓 | |
Manila (Hokkien) | 乒乓, 桌球 | |
Longyan | 桌球 | |
Zhangping (Yongfu) | 桌球仔 | |
Shantou | 乒乓球 | |
Shantou (Chenghai) | 乒乓 | |
Singapore (Teochew) | 乒乓 | |
Leizhou | 乒乓球, 波囝 | |
Haikou | 乒乓 | |
Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 檯球 |
Wu | Shanghai | 乒乓球, 檯球 dated |
Shanghai (Chongming) | 檯球 | |
Suzhou | 檯球, 乒乓球 | |
Danyang | 檯球 dated | |
Hangzhou | 乒乓球 | |
Ningbo | 乒乓球 | |
Wenzhou | 蠟球 | |
Jinhua | 乒乓球, 檯球 | |
Xiang | Changsha | 蛋殼子球 |
Loudi | 乒乓球 |
Derived terms
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References
- 西遊記 第十回 老龍王拙計犯天條 魏丞相遺書託冥吏, earlist usage of the term in Journey to the West