瀚海

Chinese

		vast wide	sea(s) ocean(s)
simp. and trad. (瀚海)		瀚	海

Etymology

In reference to the Gobi, variant of earlier 翰海, glossed under the Tang as intending "Northern Sea" but later mistranslated by Ferdinand von Richthofen as "Dry Sea", still occasionally repeated in various sources.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Hànhǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄢˋ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hon⁶ hoi²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Hànhǎi
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄢˋ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Hànhǎi
    • Wade–Giles: Han⁴-hai³
    • Yale: Hàn-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Hannhae
    • Palladius: Ханьхай (Xanʹxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /xän⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hon⁶ hoi²
    • Yale: hohn hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hon⁶ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: hon⁶ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːn²² hɔːi̯³⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: hanH xojX

Rime
Character	瀚	海
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	曉 (32)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	侯旰切	呼改切
Baxter	hanH	xojX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦɑnH/	/hʌiX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦɑnH/	/həiX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɑnH/	/xɒiX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦanH/	/həjX/
Li Rong	/ɣɑnH/	/xᴀiX/
Wang Li	/ɣɑnH/	/xɒiX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣɑnH/	/xɑ̆iX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hàn	hǎi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hon6	hoi2

Proper noun

瀚海

1. (historical) An ancient placename in northern China, which variously referred to the Hulun, Buir and Baikal lakes, or the Khangai Mountains.
2. (dated) Gobi Desert

   alt. forms: 翰海

Noun

瀚海

1. (literary) vast ocean

   • 瀚海闌干百丈冰，愁雲慘澹萬里凝。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     瀚海阑干百丈冰，愁云惨澹万里凝。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 8th century, 岑參 (Cen Shen), 白雪歌送武判官歸京

     Hànhǎi lángān bǎi zhàng bīng, chóuyún cǎndàn wànlǐ níng. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (literary) desert

References

• "翰海", 日本最大級のオンライン中国語辞典.
• "翰海", Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary (2021), Republic of China Ministry of Education.
• Emil Bretschneider, "Notes on Chinese Mediaeval Travellers to the West: Extract from the Si yu lu (Ye-lü Ch'u ts'ai, 1219)", Mediaeval Researches from Eastern Asiatic Sources..., Vol. I (1888), p. 15, n. 9.