長頸鹿
Chinese edit
long; length; forever long; length; forever; always; constantly; chief; head; elder; to grow; to develop |
neck | deer | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (長頸鹿) | 長 | 頸 | 鹿 | |
| simp. (长颈鹿) | 长 | 颈 | 鹿 | |
| Literally: “long-necked deer”. | ||||
Etymology edit
Appears to be first attested in 萬國地理全集 [1844] by Karl Gützlaff (Chng, 2012). Earlier names for the animal include 徂蠟／徂蜡, 麒麟 (qílín), 惡那西約／恶那西约, 祖剌法, etc.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
長頸鹿
- giraffe (Classifier: 隻／只 m c) [from 19th c.]
- 1890, 薛福成 [Xue Fucheng], “(四月)二十三日記”, in 《出使英法義比四國日記》, volume 2, page 34:
Synonyms edit
Dialectal synonyms of 長頸鹿 (“giraffe”) [map]
| Variety | Location | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Taxonomic name | 長頸鹿 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 長脖兒鹿 |
| Taiwan | 長頸鹿 | |
| Ürümqi | 長脖兒鹿 | |
| Liuzhou | 長頸鹿 | |
| Singapore | 長頸鹿 | |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 長頸鹿 |
| Hakka | Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) | 長頸鹿 |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian) | 長頸鹿仔 | |
| Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 長頸鹿 | |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 長頸鹿, 長頷鹿 |
| Zhao'an | 長頸鹿 | |
| Taipei (Wanhua) | 長頭鹿 | |
| New Taipei (Tamsui) | 長頭鹿 | |
| Kaohsiung | 長頷鹿, 麒麟仔 | |
| Kaohsiung (Cijin) | 長頷頸 | |
| Kaohsiung (Dalinpu, Siaogang) | 長頸鹿, 長鹿仔 | |
| Yilan | 長頷鹿 | |
| Yilan (Luodong) | 躼跤鹿仔 | |
| Yilan (Toucheng) | 躼跤鹿仔 | |
| Changhua (Lukang) | 麒麟鹿 | |
| Taichung | 麒麟 | |
| Taichung (Wuqi) | 麒麟鹿 | |
| Tainan | 長頷鹿 | |
| Taitung | 長頷鹿 | |
| Hsinchu | 長頷鹿 | |
| Penghu (Magong) | 長頷鹿 | |
| Penang (Hokkien) | 麒麟鹿, 長頸鹿 | |
| Singapore (Hokkien) | 麒麟鹿, 長跤鹿, 長頸鹿 | |
| Singapore (Teochew) | 長頸鹿 | |