# 獅子
## Chinese

* 獅子 (Written Standard Chinese)
* Sai-á-hiong (Southern Min)

### Etymology

See 獅／狮 (shī).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): shīzi
       (Zhuyin): ㄕ ˙ㄗ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): si$^1$ zi$^3$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): сызы (sɨzɨ, I-I)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): si$^1$ zi$^2$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhu$^1$ du$^2$
* Gan (Wiktionary): si$^1$ zi
* Jin (Wiktionary): si$^1$ zeh
* Northern Min (KCR): sú-cǔ
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sai-chú
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^1$sy-tsy
* Xiang
    (Changsha, Wiktionary): sr$^1$ zr
    (Hengyang, Wiktionary): sr$^1$ zr
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shīzi
*** Zhuyin: ㄕ ˙ㄗ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shihzi̊h
*** Wade–Giles: shih$^1$-tzŭ$^5$
*** Yale: shr̄-dz
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shy.tzy
*** Palladius: шицзы (šiczy)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩²/
*** Homophones: [Show/Hide]$^{edit}$獅子 / 狮子 蝨子 / 虱子
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: si$^1$ zi$^3$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: sz
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩⁵⁵ t͡sz̩⁵³/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: сызы (sɨzɨ, I-I)
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩²⁴ t͡sz̩²⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: si$^1$ zi$^2$
*** Yale: sī jí
*** Cantonese Pinyin: si$^1$ dzi$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: xi$^1$ ji$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /siː⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: lhu$^1$ du$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬu³³ tu⁵⁵/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: si$^1$ zi
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩⁴² t͡sz̩²/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: si$^1$ zeh
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /sz̩¹¹ t͡səʔ²/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sú-cǔ
*** Sinological IPA : /su⁵⁴ t͡su²¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sai-chú
*** Tâi-lô: sai-tsú
*** Phofsit Daibuun: saizuo
*** IPA (Taipei): /sai⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡su⁵³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /sai⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡su⁴¹/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$sy-tsy
*** MiniDict: sy$^平$ tsy
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$sr-tsr
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sz̩⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹/
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /sz̩⁴⁴ t͡sz̩/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: sr$^1$ zr
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩³³ t͡sz̩³/
** (Hengyang)
*** Wiktionary: sr$^1$ zr
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩⁴⁴⁵ t͡sz̩³/
* Middle Chinese: srij tsiX
Rime :
| Character | 獅 | 子 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 生 (21) | 精 (13) |
| Final (韻) | 脂 (17) | 之 (19) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | III |
| Fanqie | 疏夷切 | 即里切 |
| Baxter | srij | tsiX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ʃˠiɪ/ | /t͡sɨ$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ʃᵚi/ | /t͡sɨ$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ʃiɪ/ | /t͡sie$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ʂji/ | /t͡sɨ$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /ʃji/ | /t͡siə$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /ʃi/ | /t͡sĭə$^X$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ʂi/ | /t͡si$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | shī | zǐ |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | si$^1$ | zi$^2$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*sri ʔslɯʔ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 子 | 子 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | zǐ | zǐ |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tsi$^X$ › | ‹ tsi$^X$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[ts]əʔ/ | /*tsəʔ/ |
| English | 1st earthly branch | child; gentleman, master |
| 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 | 獅 | 子 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 11437 | 17857 |
| Phonetic component | 師 | 子 |
| Rime group | 脂 | 之 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 師 | 子 |
| Old Chinese | /*sri/ | /*ʔslɯʔ/ |
| Notes | 古作師 | |

### Noun

獅子
* lion (Classifier: 隻／只 m c; 頭／头 m)
    From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16th century CE, translation from The Journey to the West (2012), by Anthony C. Yu
    Tiānwáng dào: “Nà xiāng yīn nǐ yù wéi rénshī, suǒyǐ rě chū zhè yī wō shīzǐ lái yě.” [Pinyin]
    “It’s precisely because you desired to act as someone’s teacher,” said the devarāja, “that you got into trouble with a den of lions.”
* (Buddhism) Buddha; bodhisattva
    獅子吼／狮子吼 ― shīzǐhǒu ― words of the Buddha
    獅子座／狮子座 ― shīzǐzuò ― throne of the Buddha
* (architecture) Short for 石獅子／石狮子 (shíshīzi, “foo dog”).
    From: 1997, 邱傑, 《台灣黑白切》, page 46
    Gǎnkuài gǎigǎi fēngshuǐ, zài ménkǒu ānzhuāng yī duì shīzi ba. [Pinyin]
    Quickly change the fengshui; let's install a pair of foo dogs at the entrance.
    From: 2005, 菜夫子, 《家居的奧秘》
    Yīxiē gōngchǎng huò dàxíng diànpù, dōu huì bǎifàng yī duì dà shīzi, ér bǎifàng shīzi de dìfang, wèibì shì shàfāng, zhèshí, shīzi biàn huì chǎnshēng zhāocái de lìliàng. [Pinyin]
    Some factories or big stores would put a pair of large foo dogs, and where the foo dogs are put may not be shafang. At this time, foo dogs would create the power of bringing wealth in.
    From: 2010, 蔣匡文, 《建築師揀樓智慧》, page 98
    Zài Qīngdài, zhǐyǒu shēnwéi huángjiā guìzú huò guān zhì mǒu gāo pǐnjí cái kěyǐ zài ménkǒu fàng shīzi, fǒuzé zhǐyǒu zài guānyá mén děng “zūnguì” zhī dì cái kě fàng shīzi. [Pinyin]
    In the Qing dynasty, only the royalty and nobility or officials of certain high ranks could put foo dogs at their entrance, otherwise foo dogs were only put in "honourable" places such as the entrance of a yamen.

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 獅子, 獅 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Ulanhot | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Tongliao | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Chifeng | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Hulunbuir (Hailar) | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 獅子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 獅子 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 獅子 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Yantai (Muping) | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Zhengzhou | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xining | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 獅子 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) | 獅子 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 獅子 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Bayanhot | 獅子 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 獅子 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 獅子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 獅子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 獅子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 獅子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 獅子 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 獅子 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 獅子 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 獅子 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Ting Kok) | 獅仔 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Macau | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Panyu) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Conghua) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou (Zengcheng) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Foshan | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Shunde) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Sanshui) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Zhongshan (Shiqi) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Zhuhai (Doumen) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Jiangmen (Baisha) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Jiangmen (Xinhui) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Kaiping (Chikan) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Enping (Niujiang) | 獅 |
| Cantonese | Heshan (Yayao) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) | 獅 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Danzhou | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 獅子 |
| Cantonese | Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) | 獅子 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 獅子 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Xingning | 獅哩 |
| Hakka | Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua) | 獅 |
| Hakka | Dongguan (Qingxi) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) | 獅子 |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Huacheng) | 獅哩 |
| Hakka | Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua) | 獅子 |
| Hakka | Jiexi | 獅 |
| Hakka | Luhe | 獅 |
| Hakka | Yudu | 獅子 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 獅 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 獅仔 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 獅 |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 獅子 |
| Hakka | Senai (Huiyang) | 獅子 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 獅 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 獅子 |
| Jin | Xinzhou | 獅子 |
| Jin | Taibus (Baochang) | 獅子 |
| Jin | Linhe | 獅子 |
| Jin | Jining | 獅子 |
| Jin | Hohhot | 獅子 |
| Jin | Baotou | 獅子 |
| Jin | Dongsheng | 獅子 |
| Jin | Haibowan | 獅子 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 獅子 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 獅, 獅仔 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 獅, 獅仔 |
| Southern Min | Zhao'an | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Taichung (Wuqi) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Taitung | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 獅, 獅仔 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 獅, 獅仔 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Bangkok (Teochew) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 獅 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 獅 |
| Puxian Min | Putian | 獅 |
| Puxian Min | Xianyou | 獅 |
| Central Min | Yong'an | 獅子 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 獅子 |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 獅子 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 獅子 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 獅子 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 獅子 |
| Wu | Danyang | 獅子 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 獅子 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 獅子 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 獅子 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 獅子 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 獅子 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 獅子 |
| Xiang | Hengyang | 獅子 |

#### Derived terms

* 人中獅子 / 人中狮子 (rén zhōng shīzi)
* 河東獅子 / 河东狮子 (hédōngshīzi)
* 獅子口 / 狮子口 (Shīzikǒu)
* 獅子吼 / 狮子吼 (shīzihǒu)
* 獅子大開口 / 狮子大开口 (shīzi dà kāikǒu)
* 獅子山 / 狮子山 (Shīzǐshān)
* 獅子山共和國 / 狮子山共和国 (Shīzǐshān Gònghéguó)
* 獅子座 / 狮子座 (Shīzizuò)
* 獅子搏兔 / 狮子搏兔
* 獅子狗 / 狮子狗 (shīzigǒu)
* 獅子舞 / 狮子舞 (shīziwǔ)
* 獅子頭 / 狮子头 (shīzitóu)
* 石獅子 / 石狮子 (shíshīzi)
* 雪獅子向火 / 雪狮子向火

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 獅子(しし) (shishi)
* → Korean: 사자(獅子) (saja)
* → Vietnamese: sư tử (獅子)
Others:
* → Bouyei: siyzij
* → English: Shih Tzu
** → Japanese: シーズー (shīzū)
* → Zhuang: saeceij

### Proper noun

獅子
* (astrology, astronomy) Short for 獅子座／狮子座 (Shīzizuò, “Leo”).
* (～鄉) Shizi (a mountain indigenous township in Pingtung County, Taiwan)

### See also

* 老虎 (lǎohǔ)
* 獅虎／狮虎 (shīhǔ)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 獅 | 子 |
| し Jinmeiyō | し Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 師子

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 獅子 (MC srij tsiX, literally “lion + (diminutive suffix)”)

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しし [shíꜜshì] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [ɕi̥ɕi]

### Noun

獅(し)子(し) or 獅子(シシ) • (shishi)
* Synonym of ライオン (raion, “lion”) (big cat Panthera leo)
** 1999 July 5, “レオ・ウィザード [Leo Wizard]”, in BOOSTER 3, Konami:
    黒(くろ)いマントをはおった魔(ま)術(じゅつ)師(し)。正(しょう)体(たい)は言(こと)葉(ば)を話(はな)すシシ。
       Kuroi manto o haotta majutsushi. Shōtai wa kotoba o hanasu shishi.
       A wizard in a black cloak who is actually a talking lion.
** 2007 October 20, Izawa, Hiroshi with Yamada, Kotaro, “最(さい)終(しゅう)話(わ)　それぞれの道(みち)へ [Final Chapter: Epilog]”, in ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], Jump Remix edition, volume 5 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 350:
    若(わか)き獅(し)子(し)ロイ
       Wakaki Shishi Roi
       Roy, Young Lion
* (by extension from the notion of lions being "kings") the Buddha, a Buddha
* short for 獅子舞 (shishimai), a traditional Chinese lion dance
* short for 獅子頭 (shishigashira), the lion mask traditionally worn for the lion dance
* short for 除夜の獅子 (joya no shishi, “New Year's lion”), a person dressed in costume as for a lion dance who goes door to door begging on New Year's Eve
* a guardian statue commonly found outside temples and shrines, often with a komainu statue, the tradition for which is said to have come over from the Korean peninsula

#### Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as シシ. This term is generally not used in modern Japanese when referring to the animal; the English-derived ライオン (raion) is typically used instead.

#### Synonyms

* (animal): ライオン (raion)
* (Buddha): 仏(ほとけ) (hotoke)

#### Derived terms

* 獅子座(ししざ) (shishiza)
* 獅(し)子(し)猿(ざる) (shishizaru): lion tamarin
* 獅子唐(ししとう) (shishitō)
* 獅子蘭(ししらん) (shishiran)
* 獅子奮迅(ししふんじん) (shishi funjin)
* 獅子舞(ししまい) (shishimai)
* 唐獅子(からしし) (karashishi)

#### Related terms

* (statue): 狛(こま)犬(いぬ) (komainu)

### Proper noun

獅(し)子(し) • (Shishi)
* the name of the lion dance 囃子 (hayashi, “musical accompaniment”) in various noh and kabuki plays
* the first piece of music played in a 伎楽 (gigaku) performance (more commonly spelled 師子)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
   * Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 獅 | 子 |

### Noun

獅子 • (saja) (hangeul 사자)
* hanja form of 사자 (“lion”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 獅 | 子 |

### Noun

獅子
* chữ Hán form of sư tử (“lion”).