ช้างเผือก

Thai

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Etymology

From ช้าง (cháang, “elephant”) +‎ เผือก (pʉ̀ʉak, “white”).

Pronunciation

Orthographic		ช้างเผือก d͡ʑ ˆ ā ŋ e pʰ ụ̄ ɒ k
Phonemic		ช้าง-เผือก d͡ʑ ˆ ā ŋ – e pʰ ụ̄ ɒ k
Romanization	Paiboon	cháang-pʉ̀ʉak
	Royal Institute	chang-phueak
(standard) IPA(key)		/t͡ɕʰaːŋ˦˥.pʰɯa̯k̚˨˩/(R)

Noun

ช้างเผือก • (cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)

1. white elephant, traditionally believed to be one of the seven precious things, known as สัปตรัตนะ (“seven jewels”), that a จักรพรรดิ (jàk-grà-pát, “universal ruler”) should possess.
2. (idiomatic) popular person from a rural area, just like a white elephant that is from the wild and is sought after by the palace.
3. (slang) the one of a kind; the one and only; the best of all.
4. a type of royal decorations of Thailand, known as the Order of the White Elephant.
5. (botany) hop tree: the plant Arfeuillea arborescens of the family Sapindaceae.
6. (botany) foxtail: the plant Rhynchostylis gigantea of the family Orchidaceae.

Usage notes

• According to an old law of Thailand, an elephant is considered to be a white elephant if it has the following seven features: white eyes, white palate, white nails, white hairs, white skin, white tail, and white testicle.

Derived terms

• ทางช้างเผือก (taang-cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)