# 滄海桑田
## Chinese

| | | vast ocean; large ocean | mulberry plantation |
| trad. (滄海桑田) | trad. (滄海桑田) | 滄海 | 桑田 |
| simp. (沧海桑田) | simp. (沧海桑田) | 沧海 | 桑田 |
| anagram | anagram | 桑田滄海／桑田沧海 | 桑田滄海／桑田沧海 |
| Literally: “the vast sea (turned into) mulberry fields”. ||||

### Etymology

Originally 東海桑田／东海桑田 (literally “East China sea becoming mulberry fields”). From Shenxian Zhuan (神仙傳·麻姑):
    Mágū zì shuō yún: “Jiēdài yǐlái, yǐ jiàn Dōnghǎi sān wèi sāngtián. Xiàng dào Pénglái, shuǐ yòu qiǎn yú wǎngzhě huì shí lüè bàn yě. Qǐ jiāng fùhái wèi líng lù hū.” [Pinyin]
    Magu said: "Since we met last time, I have seen the East China Sea turned into mulberry fields thrice. When I visited Penglai Island just now, I saw that the water was shallower than half of it was when we met. Is it going to turn into land again?"

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): cānghǎisāngtián
    (Zhuyin): ㄘㄤ ㄏㄞˇ ㄙㄤ ㄊㄧㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): cong$^1$ hoi$^2$ song$^1$ tin$^4$
* Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): cang$^1$ hai$^2$ seng$^1$ cang$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: cānghǎisāngtián
*** Zhuyin: ㄘㄤ ㄏㄞˇ ㄙㄤ ㄊㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: canghǎisangtián
*** Wade–Giles: tsʻang$^1$-hai$^3$-sang$^1$-tʻien$^2$
*** Yale: tsāng-hǎi-sāng-tyán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsanghaesangtyan
*** Palladius: цанхайсантянь (canxajsantjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ sɑŋ⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: cong$^1$ hoi$^2$ song$^1$ tin$^4$
*** Yale: chōng hói sōng tìhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tsong$^1$ hoi$^2$ song$^1$ tin$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: cong$^1$ hoi$^2$ song$^1$ tin$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵ sɔːŋ⁵⁵ tʰiːn²¹/
* Southern Min
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: cang$^1$ hai$^2$ seng$^1$ cang$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshang hái sṳng tshâng
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰaŋ³³⁻²³ hai⁵² sɯŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰaŋ⁵⁵/
* Middle Chinese: tshang xojX sang den
Rime :
| Character | 滄 | 海 | 桑 | 田 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 清 (14) | 曉 (32) | 心 (16) | 定 (7) |
| Final (韻) | 唐 (101) | 咍 (41) | 唐 (101) | 先 (85) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Rising (X) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | I | I | I | IV |
| Fanqie | 七岡切 | 呼改切 | 息郎切 | 徒年切 |
| Baxter | tshang | xojX | sang | den |
| Reconstructions |||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /hʌi$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /den/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /həi$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /den/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /xɒi$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /dɛn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /t͡sʰaŋ/ | /həj$^X$/ | /saŋ/ | /dɛn/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /xᴀi$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /den/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /xɒi$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /dien/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /t͡sʰɑŋ/ | /xɑ̆i$^X$/ | /sɑŋ/ | /dʱien/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | cāng | hǎi | sāng | tián |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | cong$^1$ | hoi$^2$ | song$^1$ | tin$^4$ |

### Idiom

滄海桑田
* time brings drastic changes to the world; the vicissitudes of life

#### Synonyms

* (short form) 滄桑／沧桑 (cāngsāng)
* 桑田滄海／桑田沧海 (sāngtiáncānghǎi)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 滄海桑田(そうかいそうでん) (sōkaisōden)
* → Korean: 창해상전(滄海桑田) (changhaesangjeon)
* → Vietnamese: thương hải tang điền (滄海桑田)
Others:
* → Vietnamese: bể dâu (calque)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 滄 | 海 | 桑 | 田 |
| そう Hyōgai | かい Grade: 2 | そう Grade: S | でん Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi ||||
* Alternative spelling
* 滄海桑田 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

From 滄海 (“vast ocean”) +‎ 桑田 (“mulberry plantations”). Borrowed from Chinese 滄海桑田／沧海桑田 (cānghǎisāngtián), literally “the blue sea turned into mulberry fields”.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) そーかいそーでん [sòókáísóꜜòdèǹ] (Nakadaka – [5])
* IPA: [so̞ːka̠iso̞ːdẽ̞ɴ]

### Idiom

滄(そう)海(かい)桑(そう)田(でん) • (sōkaisōden)
* (figuratively) drastic changes in the world

### See also

* 滄(そう)海(かい)変(へん)じて桑(そう)田(でん)となる (sōkai henjite sōden to naru)
* 桑(そう)田(でん)滄(そう)海(かい) (sōdensōkai)
* 桑(そう)田(でん)変(へん)じて滄(そう)海(かい)となる (sōden henjite sōkai to naru)
* 桑(そう)田(でん)碧(へき)海(かい) (sōdenhekikai)
* 滄桑(そうそう) (sōsō)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN