逍遙

逍遙

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (逍遙)		逍	遙
simp. (逍遥)		逍	遥
alternative forms		逍搖／逍摇 消遙／消遥 消搖／消摇

Etymology

A reduplicative ideophonic word, originally meaning “to walk leisurely”. As a concept in Chinese philosophy, xiaoyao was featured prominently in the ancient text of Zhuangzi. Compare the similar reduplicative formations of:

• 招搖 (OC *tjew lew, “to walk freely > to act pretentiously”)
• 優游 (OC *qu lu, “at leisure”)
• 夭紹 (OC *qrow djewʔ), 要紹 (OC *qew djewʔ, “lithe; relaxed”)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiāoyáo

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠ ㄧㄠˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): siu¹ jiu⁴
• Min Dong (BUC): siĕu-ièu
• Min Nan (POJ): siau-iâu
• Wu (Wiktionary): xiau hhiau (T1)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiāoyáo
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠ ㄧㄠˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siaoyáo
    • Wade–Giles: hsiao¹-yao²
    • Yale: syāu-yáu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiauyau
    • Palladius: сяояо (sjaojao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕjɑʊ̯⁵⁵ jɑʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: siu¹ jiu⁴
    • Yale: sīu yìuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: siu¹ jiu⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xiu¹ yiu⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯⁵⁵ jiːu̯²¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: siĕu-ièu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sieu⁵⁵ ieu⁵³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: siau-iâu
    • Tâi-lô: siau-iâu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: siau'iaau
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɕiau⁴⁴⁻²² iau²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɕiau³³ iau²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɕiau⁴⁴⁻²² iau¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɕiau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɕiau⁴⁴⁻³³ iau²³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: xiau hhiau (T1)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiɔ⁵⁵ ɦiɔ²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: /siᴇu  jiᴇu/

Rime
Character	逍	遙
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)	以 (36)
Final (韻)	宵 (91)	宵 (91)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	相邀切	餘昭切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/siᴇu/	/jiᴇu/
Pan Wuyun	/siɛu/	/jiɛu/
Shao Rongfen	/sjæu/	/jæu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/siaw/	/jiaw/
Li Rong	/siɛu/	/iɛu/
Wang Li	/sĭɛu/	/jĭɛu/
Bernard Karlgren	/si̯ɛu/	/i̯ɛu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiāo	yáo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	siu1	jiu4

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*sew  lew/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	逍
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiāo
Middle Chinese	‹ sjew ›
Old Chinese	/*[s]ew/
English	be at ease
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	逍	遙
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	13744	14705
Phonetic component	肖	謠
Rime group	宵	宵
Rime subdivision	2	3
Corresponding MC rime	宵	遙
Old Chinese	/*sew/	/*lew/

Verb

逍遙

1. (literary) to stroll relaxingly; to walk leisurely; to wander in a carefree manner; to saunter about

   • 羔裘逍遙，狐裘以朝。豈不爾思，勞心忉忉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     羔裘逍遥，狐裘以朝。岂不尔思，劳心忉忉。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Gāo qiú xiāoyáo, hú qiú yǐ cháo. Qǐ bù ěr sī, láoxīn dāodāo. [Pinyin]

     In your lamb's fur you saunter about;
     In your fox's fur you hold your court.
     How should I not think anxiously about you?
     My toiled heart is full of grief.

2. (literary) to pace back and forth; to dither

   Synonyms: 走來走去／走来走去 (zǒuláizǒuqù), 躑躅／踯躅 (zhízhú), 踟躕／踟蹰 (chíchú), 徘徊 (páihuái), 盤桓／盘桓 (pánhuán), 彷徨 (pánghuáng), 盤旋／盘旋 (pánxuán)

3. (literary) to relish; to appreciate; to delight in

Adjective

逍遙

1. (often in Chinese philosophy) free and unfettered; carefree; untroubled

   • 彷徨乎無為其側，逍遙乎寢臥其下？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     彷徨乎无为其侧，逍遥乎寝卧其下？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Pánghuáng hū wú wéi qí cè, xiāoyáo hū qǐnwò qí xià? [Pinyin]

     […] There you might saunter idly by its side, or in the enjoyment of untroubled ease sleep beneath it.

   • 以遊逍遙之虛，食於苟簡之田 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     以游逍遥之虚，食于苟简之田 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     yǐ yóu xiāoyáo zhī xū, shí yú gǒujiǎn zhī tián [Pinyin]

     Thus they rambled in the vacancy of Untroubled Ease, found their food in the fields of Indifference […]

Synonyms

edit

Synonyms of 逍遙

享受 (xiǎngshòu) 好受 (hǎoshòu) 安怡 (ānyí) (literary) 安逸 (ānyì) 恬逸 (tiányì) (literary) 是味 (shìwèi) 爽快 (shuǎngkuài) 自在 (zìzai) 舒坦 (shūtan) 舒心 (shūxīn)

舒服 (shūfu) 停當／停当 (tíngdàng) (literary) 安適／安适 (ānshì) 安閒／安闲 (ānxián) 寫意／写意 (xièyì) (dialectal) 得勁／得劲 (déjìn) (chiefly Zhongyuan Mandarin, Jilu Mandarin) 滋潤／滋润 (zīrùn) (colloquial) 爽適／爽适 (Min Dong) 舒適／舒适 (shūshì) 適意／适意 (shìyì)

Derived terms

Derived terms from 逍遙

玉逍遙／玉逍遥 自在逍遙／自在逍遥 逍遙事外／逍遥事外 逍遙傘／逍遥伞 逍遙公／逍遥公 逍遙園／逍遥园 逍遙子／逍遥子 逍遙學派／逍遥学派 逍遙巾／逍遥巾 逍遙座／逍遥座 逍遙服／逍遥服 逍遙椅／逍遥椅

逍遙樂／逍遥乐 逍遙樓／逍遥楼 逍遙法外／逍遥法外 (xiāoyáofǎwài) 逍遙津／逍遥津 逍遙物外／逍遥物外 逍遙自在／逍遥自在 逍遙自娛／逍遥自娱 逍遙自得／逍遥自得 逍遙臺／逍遥台 逍遙輦／逍遥辇 逍遙遊／逍遥游 逍遙館／逍遥馆