User:AmazingJus/chinaofmiddle

Please only edit this if you are helping me.

This is a Swadesh list of words in Middle Chinese, compared with definitions in English.

Presentation

For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.

American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.

List

No.	English	Old Chinese 上古漢語	IPA pronunciation
1	I	吾	ŋuo, ŋˠa
2	you (singular)	汝	ȵɨʌX
3	he	伊	ʔiɪ
4	we	我	ŋɑX
5	you (plural)	汝	ȵɨʌX
6	they	彼, 之	pˠiᴇX, t͡ɕɨ
7	this	此, 斯	t͡sʰiᴇX, siᴇ
8	that	彼	pa[j]ʔ
9	here	[[]]
10	there	[[]]
11	who	孰	duk
12	what	何	gga[j]
13	where	何處	ggaj t-ʔhaʔ
14	when	迨	Ł(h)ǝ̄ʔ
15	how	如何	na ggaj
16	not	不	pəʔ
17	all	凡	brom
18	many	多	tāj
19	some	[[]]
20	few	少	tewʔ
21	other	他, 它	slāj
22	one	一	ʔit
23	two	二	ni[jtk]-s
24	three	三	s-hhləm
25	four	四	s-hlij-s
26	five	五	ŋŋaʔ
27	big	大	N-ttat-s
28	long	長	N-traŋ
29	wide	廣	kkwaŋʔ
30	thick	敦	ttu[l]
31	heavy	重	N-troŋʔ
32	small	小	s-tewʔ
33	short	短	ttunʔ
34	narrow	狹	N-kkrep
35	thin	細	ssəj-s
36	woman	女	nraʔ
37	man (male)	男	nnəm
38	man (human)	人	nin/ŋ
39	child	子	tsəʔ
40	wife	妻	s-hhləj
41	husband	夫	pa
42	mother	母	mmoʔ
43	father	父	baʔ
44	animal	[[]]
45	fish	魚	ŋa
46	bird	鳥	ttiwʔ
47	dog	犬	kkhwirʔ
48	louse	蝨	srik
49	snake	蛇	m-laj
50	worm	蚓	linʔ
51	tree	木	mhōk
52	forest	林	Cə-ləm
53	stick	杖	draŋʔ
54	fruit	實	m-lit
55	seed	種	toŋʔ
56	leaf	葉	lap
57	root	根	kkən
58	bark (of a tree)	[[]]
59	flower	華	GGwhra
60	grass	草	ttshuʔ
61	rope	繩	mləŋ
62	skin	皮	m-paj
63	meat	肌	k(r)ij
64	blood	血	hhmik
65	bone	骨	kkut
66	fat (noun)	脂	kij
67	egg	卵	Cə-llorʔ
68	horn	角	krōk
69	tail	尾	məjʔ
70	feather	羽	waʔ
71	hair	毛	mmaw
72	head	首	hluʔ
73	ear	耳	nəŋʔ
74	eye	目	miwk
75	nose	鼻	m-Pit(-s)
76	mouth	口	kkhoʔ
77	tooth	牙	m-ʔhra
78	tongue	舌	m-lat
79	fingernail	指
80	foot	足	tsok
81	leg	腿	hhnujʔ
82	knee	膝	sit
83	hand	手	hnuʔ
84	wing	翼	lək
85	belly	肚	m-ttaʔ
86	guts	腸
87	neck	頸	kkreŋʔ
88	back	背	ppək-s
89	breast	乳	noʔ
90	heart	心	sǝm
91	liver	肝	kkar
92	to drink	飲	ʔəmʔ
93	to eat	食	m-lək
94	to bite	噬	det-s
95	to suck	噆	ttsəp
96	to spit	吐	tthaʔ
97	to vomit	嘔	qqoʔ
98	to blow	呼	qqwha
99	to breathe	息	sək
100	to laugh	笑	s-ŋawk-s
101	to see	睹	ttaʔ
102	to hear	聞	mun
103	to know	知	tre
104	to think	恁	nəmʔ
105	to smell	嗅	qhuk-s
106	to fear	畏	quj-s
107	to sleep	寢	tshimʔ
108	to live	生	sreŋ
109	to die	死	sijʔ
110	to kill	殺	ssret
111	to fight	鬥	tōks
112	to hunt	獵	Cə-rap
113	to hit	擊	kkek
114	to cut	斷	tto[n]ʔ
115	to split	裂	ret
116	to stab	刺	tshek-s
117	to scratch	刮	kkrot
118	to dig	掘	m-k(h)ut
119	to swim	泳	wraŋ-s
120	to fly	飛	pər
121	to walk	行	ggraŋ
122	to come	來	mə-rrə(k)
123	to lie (as in a bed)	臥	ŋŋoj-s
124	to sit	坐	ddʒojʔ
125	to stand	立	kə-rəp
126	to turn (intransitive)	轉	tronʔ
127	to fall	墮	llo[j]
128	to give	賦	pas
129	to hold	執	t-nəp
130	to squeeze	[[]]
131	to rub	擦	ćhrāt
132	to wash	洗	sǝ̄rʔ
133	to wipe	拭	ƛhǝk
134	to pull	引	Łinʔ
135	to push	推	thūj
136	to throw	投	ddo
137	to tie	繫	kkej-s
138	to sew	縫	boŋ
139	to count	數	sroʔ
140	to say	曰	wat
141	to sing	歌	kāj
142	to play	[[]]
143	to float	[[]]
144	to flow	流	Cə-lu
145	to freeze	[[]]
146	to swell	[[]]
147	sun	日	njit
148	moon	月	ŋwat
149	star	星	sseŋ
150	water	水	hlujʔ
151	rain	雨	waʔ
152	river	[[]]
153	lake	湖	ga
154	sea	海	hhməj?
155	salt	滷	rraʔ
156	stone	石	dak
157	sand	沙	ssraj
158	dust	塵	drən
159	earth	土	tthaʔ
160	cloud	雲	wən
161	fog	霧	mo(k-)s
162	sky	天	hllin
163	wind	風	prəm
164	snow	[[]]
165	ice	[[]]
166	smoke	煙	ʔin
167	fire	火	hhməjʔ
168	ash	灰	hmə
169	to burn	焚	bən
170	road	路	kə-rrak-s
171	mountain	[[]]
172	red	赤	t-qhak
173	green	青	ttsheng
174	yellow	黃	N-kkwaŋ
175	white	白	N-pprak
176	black	黑	hhmək
177	night	夜	lak-s
178	day	日	ni[k,t]
179	year	歲	s-qwat-s
180	warm	熱	ŋet
181	cold	寒	ggan
182	full	[[]]
183	new	新	siŋ
184	old	老	rruʔ
185	good	好	qqhuʔ
186	bad	惡	qqak
187	rotten	腐	boʔ
188	dirty	污	qqwa
189	straight	[[]]
190	round	[[]]
191	sharp (as a knife)	兓	tsəm
192	dull (as a knife)	敦	ddu[n]-s
193	smooth	[[]]
194	wet	濕	qhip
195	dry	乾	kkar
196	correct	正	teŋ-s
197	near	近	gə[n]ʔ
198	far	遠	wanʔ
199	right	右	wəʔ-s
200	left	左	ttsajʔ
201	at	[[]]
202	in	[[]]
203	with	[[]]
204	and	眔	lləp
205	if	[[]]
206	because	[[]]
207	name	名	meŋ