南冠

Chinese

		south	to head; hat; crown to head; hat; crown; crest; cap
simp. and trad. (南冠)		南	冠
Literally: “southern-style headdress”.

Etymology

In reference to Zhong Yi (鍾儀) of Chu, Lord of Yun (鄖) and master of music, who refused to take off his Chu-style clothing while imprisoned in Jin.

晉侯觀于軍府，見鍾儀，問之曰：「南冠而縶者，誰也？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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晋侯观于军府，见钟仪，问之曰：「南冠而絷者，谁也？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Jìnhóu guān yú jūnfǔ, jiàn Zhōng Yí, wènzhī yuē: “Nánguān ér zhí zhě, shéi yě?” [Pinyin]

The Marquis of Jin, who was inspecting the army warehouse, met Zhong Yi and asked him, "You who are still wearing a southern-style headdress while bound in chains, who are you?"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): nánguān

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄢ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: nánguān
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄢˊ ㄍㄨㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: nánguan
    • Wade–Giles: nan²-kuan¹
    • Yale: nán-gwān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nanguan
    • Palladius: наньгуань (nanʹguanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /nän³⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: nom kwan

Rime
Character	南	冠
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	覃 (159)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	那含切	古丸切
Baxter	nom	kwan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nʌm/	/kuɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/nəm/	/kʷɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/nɒm/	/kuɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/nəm/	/kwan/
Li Rong	/nᴀm/	/kuɑn/
Wang Li	/nɒm/	/kuɑn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/năm/	/kuɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	nán	guān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	naam4	gun1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*nˤ[ə]m  [k.ʔ]ˤor/

  (Zhengzhang): /*nuːm  kŋoːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	南	冠
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	nán	guān
Middle Chinese	‹ nom ›	‹ kwan ›
Old Chinese	/*nˁ[ə]m/	/*[k.ʔ]ˁor/
English	south	cap (n.)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	南	冠
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	9355	16107
Phonetic component	南	元
Rime group	侵	元
Rime subdivision	2	3
Corresponding MC rime	南	官
Old Chinese	/*nuːm/	/*kŋoːn/

Noun

南冠

1. (literary, metonymically) people from the south
2. (literary, poetic, figurative) prisoner

   • 西陸蟬聲唱，南冠客思侵。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     西陆蝉声唱，南冠客思侵。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Luo Binwang, c. 679–684. Singing Praises of Cicadas in Prison (《在獄詠蟬》), translated by Betty Tseng.

     Xīlù chánshēng chàng, nánguān kèsī qīn. [Pinyin]

     West of here, cicadas sing their songs,
     Besieging this imprisoned southerner with homesickness.

Derived terms

• 南冠楚囚