神木
Chinese
God; unusual; mysterious God; unusual; mysterious; soul; spirit; divine essence; lively; spiritual being | tree; wood | ||
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simp. and trad. (神木) | 神 | 木 |
Pronunciation
Noun
神木
- sacred tree
Proper noun
神木
- (~市, formerly ~縣) Shenmu (a county-level city and former county of Yulin, Shaanxi, China)
Japanese
Etymology 1
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
神 | 木 |
しん Grade: 3 | ぼく Grade: 1 |
on’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
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神木 (kyūjitai) |
Possibly from Middle Chinese 神木 (MC ʑiɪn muk̚, literally “god + tree”). Compare modern Min Nan reading sîn-bo̍k. The Japanese term uses the kan'on, suggesting a later borrowing.
Alternatively, may have been coined in Japan as a compound of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as 神 (shin, “god, spirit”) + 木 (boku, “tree”).
Pronunciation
- On’yomi: Kan’on
- (Tokyo) しんぼく [shìńbókú] (Heiban – [0])[1]
- (Tokyo) しんぼく [shíꜜǹbòkù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
- IPA(key): [ɕĩmbo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]
Noun
神木 • (shinboku)
- a sacred or holy tree
Synonyms
- (honorific) 御神木 (goshinboku), ご神木 (goshinboku)
- 神樹 (shinju)
- 霊木 (reiboku)
Etymology 2
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
神 | 木 |
かむ > かん Grade: 3 | き Grade: 1 |
kun’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
---|
神木 (kyūjitai) |
/kamuki/ → /kaɴki/
From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 神 (kamu, “god, spirit”, ancient combining reading) + 木 (ki, “tree”).[2] Appears with the older kamuki phonetic rendering in the Man'yōshū poetry compilation completed in 759 CE.
Pronunciation
- Kun’yomi
- IPA(key): [kã̠ŋʲkʲi]
Noun
神木 • (kanki)
- (obsolete) (see shinboku above)
Usage notes
Superseded by the shinboku reading above.
Etymology 3
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
神 | 木 |
さか Grade: 3 | き Grade: 1 |
irregular | kun’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
---|
神木 (kyūjitai) |
Alternative spelling of 榊 (sakaki) as jukujikun (熟字訓), likely based on a partial decomposition of the 榊 character into its 神 and 木 components.
Pronunciation
- (Irregular reading)
- (Tokyo) さかき [sàkákí] (Heiban – [0])[1]
- IPA(key): [sa̠ka̠kʲi]
Noun
神木 • (sakaki)
- (rare) the sakaki tree, Cleyera japonica
References
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan