# 上窮碧落下黃泉
## Chinese

| | | up; on; on topup; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up | exhausted; poor | sky; blue sky | under; next; lowerunder; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter | yellow spring; underground spring; underworldyellow spring; underground spring; underworld; the land of the dead |
| trad. (上窮碧落下黃泉) | trad. (上窮碧落下黃泉) | 上 | 窮 | 碧落 | 下 | 黃泉 |
| simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉) | simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉) | 上 | 穷 | 碧落 | 下 | 黄泉 |
| Literally: “(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).” |||||||

### Etymology

From the Song of Everlasting Regret in 806 CE, by poet Bai Juyi:
    上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: 806 CE, Bai Juyi, Song of Everlasting RegretShàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bù jiàn. [Pinyin]The priest searched thoroughly up in the blue beyond, as well as down in the Yellow Springs below the earth, but did not spot her (Yang Guifei) in the vastness of either place.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
    (Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): soeng$^6$ kung$^4$ bik$^1$ lok$^6$ haa$^6$ wong$^4$ cyun$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
*** Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shàng cyóng bìluò sià huángcyuán
*** Wade–Giles: shang$^4$ chʻiung$^2$ pi$^4$-lo$^4$ hsia$^4$ huang$^2$-chʻüan$^2$
*** Yale: shàng chyúng bì-lwò syà hwáng-chywán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanq chyong bihluoh shiah hwangchyuan
*** Palladius: шан цюн било ся хуанцюань (šan cjun bilo sja xuancjuanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: soeng$^6$ kung$^4$ bik$^1$ lok$^6$ haa$^6$ wong$^4$ cyun$^4$
*** Yale: seuhng kùhng bīk lohk hah wòhng chyùhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: soeng$^6$ kung$^4$ bik$^7$ lok$^9$ haa$^6$ wong$^4$ tsyn$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: sêng$^6$ kung$^4$ big$^1$ log$^6$ ha$^6$ wong$^4$ qun$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /sœːŋ²² kʰʊŋ²¹ pɪk̚⁵ lɔːk̚² haː²² wɔːŋ²¹ t͡sʰyːn²¹/
* Middle Chinese: dzyangX gjuwng pjiek lak haeH hwang dzjwen
Rime :
| Character | 上 | 窮 | 碧 | 落 | 下 | 黃 | 泉 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 常 (25) | 群 (30) | 幫 (1) | 來 (37) | 匣 (33) | 匣 (33) | 從 (15) |
| Final (韻) | 陽 (105) | 東 (2) | 昔 (124) | 鐸 (103) | 麻 (98) | 唐 (102) | 仙 (78) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) | Checked (Ø) | Checked (Ø) | Departing (H) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Closed | Open | Open | Closed | Closed |
| Division (等) | III | III | III | I | II | I | III |
| Fanqie | 時掌切 | 渠弓切 | 彼役切 | 盧各切 | 胡駕切 | 胡光切 | 疾緣切 |
| Baxter | dzyangX | gjuwng | pjiek | lak | haeH | hwang | dzjwen |
| Reconstructions ||||||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /d͡ʑɨɐŋ$^X$/ | /ɡɨuŋ/ | /pwiᴇk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɦˠa$^H$/ | /ɦwɑŋ/ | /d͡ziuᴇn/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /d͡ʑiɐŋ$^X$/ | /ɡiuŋ/ | /pʷiɛk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɦᵚa$^H$/ | /ɦʷɑŋ/ | /d͡zʷiɛn/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /d͡ʑiɑŋ$^X$/ | /ɡiuŋ/ | /piuæk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɣa$^H$/ | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /d͡zjuæn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /d͡ʑɨaŋ$^X$/ | /guwŋ/ | /pwiajk̚/ | /lak̚/ | /ɦaɨ$^H$/ | /ɦwaŋ/ | /d͡zwian/ |
| Li Rong | /ʑiaŋ$^X$/ | /ɡiuŋ/ | /piuɛk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɣa$^H$/ | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /d͡ziuɛn/ |
| Wang Li | /ʑĭaŋ$^X$/ | /ɡĭuŋ/ | /pĭwɛk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɣa$^H$/ | /ɣuɑŋ/ | /d͡zĭwɛn/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ʑi̯aŋ$^X$/ | /gi̯uŋ/ | /pi̯wɛk̚/ | /lɑk̚/ | /ɣa$^H$/ | /ɣwɑŋ/ | /d͡zʱi̯wɛn/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | shàng | qióng | bi | luò | xià | huáng | quán |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | soeng$^6$ | kung$^4$ | bik$^1$ | lok$^6$ | haa$^6$ | wong$^4$ | cyun$^4$ |

### Idiom

上窮碧落下黃泉
* to search high and low
    From: Southern Song, 羅燁 (Luo Ye), 《醉翁談錄·卷二·王魁負心桂英死報》
    Nǎi jiàn Guìyīng pīfà zhàngjiàn, zhǐmà: “Wáng Kuí fùyìhàn, wǒ shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, xún rǔ bùjiàn, rǔ què zài cǐ.” [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    From: 1928, Fu Ssu-nien, 《歷史語言研究所工作之旨趣》 [The Aims of Founding the Institute of History and Philology]
    Wǒmen bùshì dúshū de rén, wǒmen zhǐshì shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, dòngshǒudòngjiǎo zhǎo dōngxī. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)