# 荏苒
## Chinese
### Etymology

A reduplicative, ideophonic compound in Late Old Chinese. Compare:
* 荏 (OC *njɯmʔ, “soft”),
* 苒苒 (OC *njamʔ njamʔ, “tender; gradual”),
* 冉冉 (OC *njamʔ njamʔ, “slowly passing or moving; hanging down gently”), and
* 荏染 (OC *njɯmʔ njomʔ, “soft; tender”) (Shijing).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): rěnrǎn
    (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˇ ㄖㄢˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): jam$^5$ jim$^5$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): lím-liám
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: rěnrǎn [Phonetic: rénrǎn]
*** Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˇ ㄖㄢˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: rěnrǎn
*** Wade–Giles: jên$^3$-jan$^3$
*** Yale: rěn-rǎn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: reenraan
*** Palladius: жэньжань (žɛnʹžanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʐən²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʐän²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: jam$^5$ jim$^5$
*** Yale: yáhm yíhm
*** Cantonese Pinyin: jam$^5$ jim$^5$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yem$^5$ yim$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /jɐm¹³ jiːm¹³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lím-liám
*** Tâi-lô: lím-liám
*** Phofsit Daibuun: lymliarm
*** IPA (Xiamen): /lim⁵³⁻⁴⁴ liam⁵³/
* Middle Chinese: nyimX nyemX
Rime :
| Character | 荏 | 苒 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 日 (38) | 日 (38) |
| Final (韻) | 侵 (139) | 鹽 (153) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | III |
| Fanqie | 如甚切 | 而琰切 |
| Baxter | nyimX | nyemX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ȵiɪm$^X$/ | /ȵiᴇm$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ȵim$^X$/ | /ȵiɛm$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ȵʑjem$^X$/ | /ȵʑjæm$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ȵim$^X$/ | /ȵiam$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /ȵiəm$^X$/ | /ȵiɛm$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /ȵʑĭĕm$^X$/ | /ȵʑĭɛm$^X$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /ȵʑi̯əm$^X$/ | /ȵʑi̯ɛm$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | rěn | rǎn |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | jam$^5$ | jim$^5$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*njɯmʔ njamʔ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 荏 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | rěn |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ nyim$^X$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*n[ə]mʔ/ (< *num?) |
| English | a kind of big beans |
| 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 | 荏 | 苒 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 10814 | 10785 |
| Phonetic component | 壬 | 冉 |
| Rime group | 侵 | 談 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 荏 | 冉 |
| Old Chinese | /*njɯmʔ/ | /*njamʔ/ |

### Verb

荏苒
* (literary, of time) to pass gradually; to elapse; to slip by quickly or imperceptibly
    From: Romance of the Three Kingdoms, circa 14th century CE
    Xuándé huí Xīnyě zhīhòu, guāngyīn rěnrǎn, yòu zǎo xīnchūn. [Pinyin]
    After Xuande returned to Xinye, the time slipped away till spring was near.
    From: Wu Jingzi, The Scholars, 1750 CE
    Rěnrǎn sān nián, shēng le yùshǐ, qīndiǎn Guǎngdōng xuédào. [Pinyin]
    In three years' time, he rose to the rank of censor and was appointed commissioner of education for Guangdong Province.
* (literary) to waste (time); to play for time
* (literary) to pass through many places; to move about

#### Derived terms

* 光陰荏苒／光阴荏苒 (guāngyīnrěnrǎn)
* 光陰荏苒，日月如梭／光阴荏苒，日月如梭
* 光陰荏苒，日月如流／光阴荏苒，日月如流
* 星霜荏苒
* 荏苒代謝／荏苒代谢
* 荏苒日月
* 韶光荏苒
* 風塵荏苒／风尘荏苒

### Adjective

荏苒
* (literary, ideophonic, of worry, sadness, etc.) incessant; never-ending; continual
* (literary, ideophonic) Alternative form of 荏染 (“weak; delicate”)