狻猊
Chinese edit
phonetic | |||
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trad. (狻猊) | 狻 | 猊 | |
simp. #(狻猊) | 狻 | 猊 | |
alternative forms |
Etymology edit
The (legendary) beast was mentioned in the ancient Chinese glossary Erya as 狻麑, a "devourer of tigers and leopards". It was also attested in the Mu Tianzi Zhuan (nominally from the Warring States period; however the textual history of the book was problematic). If correctly identified as a legendary account of the lion as later texts do, it may be a (partial) borrowing, possibly from a historical Iranian or Indo-Iranian language.
The use of 狻猊 (OC *swar ŋe) possibly predates that of 獅 (OC *sri, “lion”). Compare Proto-Indo-Iranian *sinȷ́ʰás (“lion”), Proto-Iranian *cárguš.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
狻猊
- (archaic) lion
- (Chinese mythology) mythological creature which is said to be a hybrid of lion and dragon, likes to sit down and is one of the nine sons of the dragon
Further reading edit
- Behr, Wolfgang. "Hinc sunt leones – two ancient Eurasian migratory terms in Chinese revisited (I-II)". International Journal of Central Asian Studies. Volume 9, 2004, pp. 1-25; Volume 10, 2005, pp. 1-22.
Japanese edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
狻 | 猊 |
さん Hyōgaiji |
げい Hyōgaiji |
kan’on |
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
狻 | 猊 |
しゅん Hyōgaiji |
げい Hyōgaiji |
kan’on |
Etymology edit
Literary Chinese 狻猊 (suānní)
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
狻猊 or 狻猊 • (sangei or shungei)
- (Chinese mythology) a suanni, a cross between a dragon and a lion
- (loosely, rare) Synonym of 獅子 (shishi, “lion”)
Proper noun edit
狻猊 or 狻猊 • (Sangei or Shungei)
- (Chinese mythology) the suanni that was one of the nine sons of the dragon