解豸

Chinese

		to loosen; to untie; to explain to loosen; to untie; to explain; to remove; to divide; to dissolve; to solve; solution; send under escort	beast with long backbone; legless insect
trad. (解豸)		解	豸
simp. #(解豸)		解	豸

Etymology

In Zuo zhuan's chapter Xuan 17, 豸 (OC *dreʔ) was supposedly a graphical loan for 解 (OC *grêʔ) > xiè "to understand". This raises the suspicion that 解 became a pre-syllable in the animal's name due to a misunderstood gloss; 解 "to understand, to distinguish" might also be responsible for the belief that the animal could tell straight from crooked, right from wrong (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xièzhì

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄓˋ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xièzhì
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄝˋ ㄓˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sièjhìh
    • Wade–Giles: hsieh⁴-chih⁴
    • Yale: syè-jr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiehjyh
    • Palladius: сечжи (sečži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵¹/

Noun

解豸

1. Alternative form of 獬豸 (xièzhì, “xiezhi”)

   • 弄解豸 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 司馬相如 (Sima Xiangru) 《上林賦》 "Rhapsody on the Imperial Park", in 《史記》 Records of the Grand Historian

     nòng xièzhì [Pinyin]

     (They) capture the discerning buck.

   • 角解豸，終以直，其有施。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     角解豸，终以直，其有施。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, The Canon of Supreme Mystery, 2 BCE

     Jiǎo xièzhì, zhōng yǐ zhí, qí yǒuxié. [Pinyin]

     Leading the hsie-chih to use its horns; [o]ffenders are finally set straight.