# 彌勒
## Chinese

* 彌勒市

### Etymology

From early Middle Indo-Aryan in forms like *Metreka, due to alternation of -k- and -y- that can be found in Middle-Indic languages such as Gandhari and Ashokan Prakrit. Ji (1998v11) considers the most likely direct ancestor to be Tocharian A Metrak, which also gave rise to Tocharian B Maitrāk. Cf. Bactrian Μητραγα (Mētraga) (Karashima, 2010); connected to the Gandhari 𐨨𐨅𐨟𐨿𐨪𐨅𐨩 (metreya) and Sanskrit मैत्रेय (maitreya). However, the frequently-cited form Maitreya is not a direct ancestor. Ji (ibid.) further finds the root of both the word and the religious figure in Sanskrit मैत्री (maitrī, “goodwill; close union; friendship”) and related to मित्र (mitra, “Mitra”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): Mílè
    (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧˊ ㄌㄜˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): mei$^4$ lak$^6$
* Eastern Min (BUC): Mì-lĕk
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Bî-le̍k / Bî-lia̍k / Mî-le̍k / Nî-le̍k
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: Mílè
*** Zhuyin: ㄇㄧˊ ㄌㄜˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: Mílè
*** Wade–Giles: Mi$^2$-lê$^4$
*** Yale: Mí-lè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Mileh
*** Palladius: Милэ (Milɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /mi³⁵ lɤ⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: mei$^4$ lak$^6$
*** Yale: mèih lahk
*** Cantonese Pinyin: mei$^4$ lak$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: méi$^4$ leg$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /mei̯²¹ lɐk̚²/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: Mì-lĕk
*** Sinological IPA : /mi⁵³⁻³³ l̃ɛiʔ⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bî-le̍k
*** Tâi-lô: Bî-li̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: bilek
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /bi²³⁻³³ liɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /bi²⁴⁻¹¹ liɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /bi²⁴⁻²² liɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /bi¹³⁻²² liɪk̚¹²¹/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bî-lia̍k
*** Tâi-lô: Bî-lia̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: biliak
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /bi²⁴⁻²² liak̚²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Mî-le̍k
*** Tâi-lô: Mî-li̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: milek
*** IPA (Taipei): /mĩ²⁴⁻¹¹ liɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /mĩ²³⁻³³ liɪk̚⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Nî-le̍k
*** Tâi-lô: Nî-li̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: nilek
*** IPA (Taipei): /nĩ²⁴⁻¹¹ liɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /nĩ²³⁻³³ liɪk̚⁴/
* Middle Chinese: mjie lok
Rime :
| Character | 彌 | 勒 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 明 (4) | 來 (37) |
| Final (韻) | 支 (11) | 德 (131) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | I |
| Fanqie | 武移切 | 盧則切 |
| Baxter | mjie | lok |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /miᴇ/ | /lək̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /miɛ/ | /lək̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /mjɛ/ | /lək̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /miə̆/ | /lək̚/ |
| Li Rong | /mie/ | /lək̚/ |
| Wang Li | /mǐe/ | /lək̚/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /mie̯/ | /lək̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | mí | lè |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | mei$^4$ | lak$^6$ |

### Proper noun

彌勒
* (～佛, ～菩薩) (Buddhism) Maitreya
* (～市) Mile (a county-level city in Honghe prefecture, Yunnan, China)

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 彌勒, 彌勒佛, 彌勒菩薩 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 彌勒佛 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 彌勒佛, 彌勒菩薩 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 彌羅佛 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 彌陀, 笑佛, 彌勒佛 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 彌勒佛 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 彌勒佛 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 摁肚伯公 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 彌勒佛, 彌提 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 肥勒, 肥勒爺 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 肥勒 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 肥勒, 肥勒佛, 阿肥勒佛仔 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 彌勒佛 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 和合菩薩 |

#### Derived terms

* 彌勒佛／弥勒佛 (Mílèfó)
* 彌勒菩薩／弥勒菩萨 (Mílè Púsà)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 弥(み)勒(ろく) (Miroku)
* → Korean: 미륵(彌勒) (Mireuk)
* → Vietnamese: Di Lặc (彌勒)
Others:
* → Korean: 미러 (Mireo, “Mile”)

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 彌 | 勒 |

### Proper noun

彌勒 • (Mireuk or McCune-Reischauer: Mirŭk or Yale: Miluk) (hangeul 미륵)
* hanja form of 미륵 (“Maitreya”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 彌 | 勒 |

### Proper noun

彌勒
* chữ Hán form of Di Lặc (“Maitreya”).