# 弓弦
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): gōngxián
       (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ㄒㄧㄢˊ
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гунщян (gunxi͡an, I-I)
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gung$^1$ jin$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gōngxián
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄒㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gongsián
*** Wade–Giles: kung$^1$-hsien$^2$
*** Yale: gūng-syán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gongshyan
*** Palladius: гунсянь (gunsjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /kʊŋ⁵⁵ ɕi̯ɛn³⁵/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гунщян (gunxi͡an, I-I)
*** Sinological IPA : /kuŋ²⁴ ɕiæ̃²⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gung$^1$ jin$^4$
*** Yale: gūng yìhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gung$^1$ jin$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gung$^1$ yin$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʊŋ⁵⁵ jiːn²¹/

### Noun

弓弦
* bowstring

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 弓 | 弦 |
| ゆ Grade: 2 | つる > づる Grade: S |
| kun'yomi ||
From Old Japanese. Compound of 弓 (yu, “bow”) +‎ 弦 (tsuru, “string, line”). The tsuru changes to zuru as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Probably the original reading, given the etymology of the yu and yumi readings for 弓.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ゆづる [yúꜜzùrù] (Atamadaka – [1])
* (Tokyo) ゆづる [yùzúrú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [jɯ̟zɨɾɯ̟]
   * IPA: [jɯ̃ᵝd͡zɯᵝɾ̠ɯᵝ] (dialectal pronunciation)

#### Noun

弓(ゆ)弦(づる) • (yuzuru)
* a bowstring
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 11, poem 2638:; text here
    梓弓 末之腹野尓 鷹田為 君之弓食之 将絶跡念甕屋
       梓弓 末のはら野に 鳥狩する 君が弓弦の 絶えむと思へや あづさゆみ すゑのはらのに とがりする きみがゆづるの たえむとおもへや
       Azusa yumi / sue no harano ni / togari suru / kimi ga yuzuru no / taemu to omoe ya
          Think about your bowstring snapping as you go off hunting birds in the far fields with your catalpa bow

##### Idioms

* 弓弦を鳴らす (ゆづるをならす, ​yuzuru o narasu): “to make the bowstring sing” → to strum or thrum a bowstring, done to ward off evil

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 弓 | 弦 |
| ゆみ Grade: 2 | つる > づる Grade: S |
| kun'yomi ||
From Old Japanese. Compound of 弓 (yumi, “bow”) +‎ 弦 (tsuru, “string, line”). The tsuru changes to zuru as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Probably a later reading, given the etymology of the yu and yumi readings for 弓.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ゆみづる [yùmízúrú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [jɯ̟mʲizɨɾɯ̟]
   * IPA: [jɯ̃ᵝmid͡zɯᵝɾ̠ɯᵝ] (dialectal pronunciation)

#### Noun

弓(ゆみ)弦(づる) • (yumizuru)
* a bowstring

##### Derived terms

* 弓弦打(ゆみづるう)ち (yumizuru uchi), 弓弦打(ゆみづるうち) (yumizuru uchi): striking or strumming a bowstring, done to ward off evil
* 弓弦師(ゆみづるし) (yumizurushi): a master maker of bowstrings
* 弓弦袋(ゆみづるぶくろ) (yumizurubukuro): a pouch for a spare bowstring

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 弓 | 弦 |
| ゆみ > ゆん Grade: 2 | つる > づる Grade: S |
| kun'yomi ||
/jumizuru/ → /junzuru/
Alteration from yumizuru reading.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ゆんづる [yùńzúrú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [jɯ̟̃nd͡zɨɾɯ̟]
   * IPA: [jɯ̃ᵝɴd͡zɯᵝɾ̠ɯᵝ] (dialectal pronunciation)

#### Noun

弓(ゆん)弦(づる) • (yunzuru)
* a bowstring

### References

* 1 2 3 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN