玄之又玄

Chinese

		black; mysterious	's; him/her/it; this	(once) again; also; both... and... (once) again; also; both... and...; again	black; mysterious
simp. and trad. (玄之又玄)		玄	之	又	玄

Etymology

From Tao Te Ching:

玄之又玄，眾妙之門。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

玄之又玄，众妙之门。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE

Xuánzhīyòuxuán, zhòng miào zhī mén. [Pinyin]

Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xuánzhīyòuxuán

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄩㄢˊ ㄓ ㄧㄡˋ ㄒㄩㄢˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyun⁴ zi¹ jau⁶ jyun⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hiân-chi-iū-hiân

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xuánzhīyòuxuán
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄩㄢˊ ㄓ ㄧㄡˋ ㄒㄩㄢˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: syuánjhihyòusyuán
    • Wade–Giles: hsüan²-chih¹-yu⁴-hsüan²
    • Yale: sywán-jr̄-yòu-sywán
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyuanjyyowshyuan
    • Palladius: сюаньчжиюсюань (sjuanʹčžijusjuanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy̯ɛn³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ joʊ̯⁵¹ ɕy̯ɛn³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jyun⁴ zi¹ jau⁶ jyun⁴
    • Yale: yùhn jī yauh yùhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jyn⁴ dzi¹ jau⁶ jyn⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: yun⁴ ji¹ yeo⁶ yun⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyːn²¹ t͡siː⁵⁵ jɐu̯²² jyːn²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hiân-chi-iū-hiân
    • Tâi-lô: hiân-tsi-iū-hiân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hienci'iuxhieen
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hiɛn²⁴⁻²² t͡si³³ iu⁴¹⁻²² hiɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɛn¹³⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴⁻²² iu²²⁻²¹ hiɛn¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hiɛn²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻¹¹ hiɛn²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɛn²³⁻³³ t͡si⁴⁴⁻³³ iu³³⁻²¹ hiɛn²³/

Idiom

玄之又玄

1. extremely profound and mysterious