芋尹

Chinese

		Colocasia antiquorum	to rule; surname
trad. (芋尹)		芋	尹
simp. ^#(芋尹)		芋	尹

Etymology

Unknown.^[1] The meaning and phonetic reconstruction are uncertain.

Attestations were sparse (chiefly in the Zuozhuan) and prone to typographic errors or variations in printed editions. The character 芋 might have been a corruption of another character, and several variant (and possibly corrupt) forms may have been attested in texts derived from the Zuozhuan.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yǔyǐn

(Zhuyin): ㄩˇ ㄧㄣˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yǔyǐn [Phonetic: yúyǐn]
  - Zhuyin: ㄩˇ ㄧㄣˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yǔyǐn
  - Wade–Giles: yü³-yin³
  - Yale: yǔ-yǐn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeuyiin
  - Palladius: юйинь (jujinʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /y²¹⁴⁻³⁵ in²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Noun

芋尹

(historical, obsolete) Name of an official position in the states of Chu and Chen during the Spring and Autumn period.
- 芋尹無宇斷之，曰：「一國兩君，其誰堪之？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  芋尹无宇断之，曰：「一国两君，其谁堪之？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE
  Yùyǐn Wúyǔ duàn zhī, yuē: “Yīguó liǎngjūn, qíshéi kānzhī?” [Pinyin]
  The Yu-Yin (Shen) Wuyu cut it (the flag) down, saying: "Two monarchs occupying the same throne — who could possibly tolerate that?"
- 芋尹無宇之子申亥曰：「吾父再奸王命，王弗誅，惠孰大焉？」…夏五月癸亥，王縊于芋尹申亥氏。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  芋尹无宇之子申亥曰：「吾父再奸王命，王弗诛，惠孰大焉？」…夏五月癸亥，王缢于芋尹申亥氏。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE
  Yùyǐn Wúyǔ zhī zǐ Shēn Hài yuē: “Wúfù zài gān Wáng mìng, Wáng fúzhū, huì shúdà yān?”... Xià wǔyuè Guǐ Hài, Wáng yì yú Yùyǐn Shēn Hài shì. [Pinyin]
  Shen Hai, the son of the Yu-Yin Wuyu, said: "My father twice disobeyed the King's command, yet the King spared him. What kind of clemency could be greater than those?" … In summer, the fifth month, on the day of Gui-Hai, the King hanged himself in the home of Shen Hai the Yu-Yin.
- 芋尹蓋對曰：「寡君聞楚為不道，荐伐吳國，滅厥民人。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  芋尹盖对曰：「寡君闻楚为不道，荐伐吴国，灭厥民人。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE
  Yùyǐn Gài duìyuē: “Guǎjūn wén Chǔ wéi bùdào, jiàn fá Wúguó, miè jué mínrén.” [Pinyin]
  The Yu-Yin Gai (of Chen) said in reply: "My poor master understood that Chu acted perversely, that they twice invaded the Kingdom of Wu and massacred her people."

References

^ 孔穎達, 等 (c. 642) 春秋左傳正義 [Annotations to the Zuozhuan] (武英殿《十三經注疏》) (in Chinese), published 1871, 昭公七年: “芋是草名。〈哀十七年〉陳有芋尹。蓋皆以草名官。不知其故。 ― Yu is the name of a plant. In (the annal for the) Year XVII [sic, should have been "Year XV" or 十五年] of Duke Ai, (the text mentions that) there was a person with the title Yu-Yin in the state of Chen. Possibly all of such instances (of the title Yu-Yin) might have been named after the plant, but the reason was unknown.”

[1] 孔穎達, 等 (c. 642) 春秋左傳正義 [Annotations to the Zuozhuan] (武英殿《十三經注疏》) (in Chinese), published 1871, 昭公七年: “芋是草名。〈哀十七年〉陳有芋尹。蓋皆以草名官。不知其故。 ― Yu is the name of a plant. In (the annal for the) Year XVII [sic, should have been "Year XV" or 十五年] of Duke Ai, (the text mentions that) there was a person with the title Yu-Yin in the state of Chen. Possibly all of such instances (of the title Yu-Yin) might have been named after the plant, but the reason was unknown.”

[1]