延年益壽

Chinese

to prolong life; to pray for a good harvest to prolong life
trad. (延年益壽) 延年 益壽
simp. (延年益寿) 延年 益寿
anagram 益壽延年益寿延年

Etymology

First attested in Song Yu's Rhapsody on the Gaotang Shrine

精神延年益壽萬歲 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
精神延年益寿万岁 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: 3rd century BCE, 宋玉,高唐賦, translated by David R. Knechtges
Jiǔqiào tōng yù, jīngshén chá zhì, yánniányìshòu qiānwànsuì. [Pinyin]
Your nine apertures will be unclogged,
 and your vital spirit will be unblocked.
You shall extend your years, increase your fated span
  By a thousand, even ten thousand years!

Pronunciation



Rime
Character
Reading # 1/2 1/1 1/1 1/2 2/2
Initial () (36) (8) (34) (25) (25)
Final () (77) (85) (123) (136) (136)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Level (Ø) Checked (Ø) Rising (X) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open Open Open
Division () III IV III III III
Fanqie
Baxter yen nen 'jiek dzyuwX dzyuwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/jiᴇn/ /nen/ /ʔiᴇk̚/ /d͡ʑɨuX/ /d͡ʑɨuH/
Pan
Wuyun
/jiɛn/ /nen/ /ʔiɛk̚/ /d͡ʑiuX/ /d͡ʑiuH/
Shao
Rongfen
/jæn/ /nɛn/ /ʔiæk̚/ /d͡ʑiəuX/ /d͡ʑiəuH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/jian/ /nɛn/ /ʔiajk̚/ /d͡ʑuwX/ /d͡ʑuwH/
Li
Rong
/iɛn/ /nen/ /ʔiɛk̚/ /ʑiuX/ /ʑiuH/
Wang
Li
/jĭɛn/ /nien/ /ĭɛk̚/ /ʑĭəuX/ /ʑĭəuH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/i̯ɛn/ /nien/ /ʔi̯ɛk̚/ /ʑi̯ə̯uX/ /ʑi̯ə̯uH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
yán nián yi shòu shòu
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
jin4 nin4 jik1 sau6 sau6
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/2 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
yán nián shòu shòu
Middle
Chinese
‹ yen › ‹ nen › ‹ ʔjiek › ‹ dzyuwX › ‹ dzyuwH ›
Old
Chinese
/*la[n]/ /*C.nˁi[ŋ]/ /*q[i]k/ (dialect: *-ik > *-ek) /*[N-t]uʔ/ /*[N-t]uʔ-s/
English extend harvest; year increase longevity longevity

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
Reading # 1/2 1/1 1/1 1/2 2/2
No. 14256 9482 15081 11707 11709
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
1 2 0 1 1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*lan/ /*niːŋ/ /*qleɡ/ /*djuʔ/ /*djus/
Notes

Idiom

延年益壽

  1. (of tonics, etc.) to prolong life; to promise longevity