Chongniu
Encyclopedia
Chóngniǔ or rime doublets are pairs of Middle Chinese
homophone groups within the same rime group in rime dictionaries
such as the Qieyun
and Guangyun
that are divided between the third and fourth divisions of rime table
s such as the Yunjing
but not distinguished in any other way.
The name comes the small circle (纽 niǔ) used to delimit homophone groups in the rime dictionaries.
This distinction occurred only after labial, velar or laryngeal initials in the Qieyun rimes 支 zhī, 脂 zhī, 祭 jì, 宵 xiāo, 鹽 yán,
侵 qīn, 仙 xian and 真 zhēn.
It is generally not reflected in modern varieties of Chinese
but is maintained in some Sino-Vietnamese and Sino-Korean loans.
For example, each of the following pairs is separated only in one of the Sinoxenic readings, in which the grade 4 element of the pair is distinguished by palatalization:
In the first pair, it is assumed that Vietnamese labials became dentals in a palatal environment.
The nature of the distinction within Middle Chinese
is disputed, with some scholars ascribing it to a medial and others to the main vowel.
According to the now prominent theory of S. E. Jaxontov the chongniu division-III syllables (together with all syllables in division II) had a medial -r- in Old Chinese
.
William Baxter, following earlier ideas of E. G. Pulleyblank, holds that division-III chongniu syllables had medials -rj- in Old Chinese, while their counterparts in division IV had a medial -j- before a front vowel.
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese , also called Ancient Chinese by the linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
homophone groups within the same rime group in rime dictionaries
Rime dictionary
thumb|upright=1.0|A page from Shiyun Hebi , a rime dictionary of the [[Qing Dynasty]]A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary used for writing poetry or other genres requiring rhymes. A rime dictionary focuses on pronunciation and collates...
such as the Qieyun
Qieyun
The Qieyun is a Chinese rime dictionary, published in 601 CE during the Sui Dynasty. The title Qieyun literally means "cutting rimes" referring to the traditional Chinese fănqiè system of spelling, and is thus translatable as "Spelling Rimes."Lù Făyán was the chief editor...
and Guangyun
Guangyun
The Guangyun is a Chinese rime dictionary that was compiled from 1007 to 1008 under the auspices of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Chen Pengnian and Qiu Yong were the chief editors....
that are divided between the third and fourth divisions of rime table
Rime table
A rime table or rhyme table is a syllable chart of the Chinese language, a significant advance on the fǎnqiè analysis used in earlier rime dictionaries...
s such as the Yunjing
Yunjing
The Yunjing is the oldest existing Chinese rime table. Current versions of the Yunjing date back to the 1161 and 1203 editions published by Zhang Linzhi ....
but not distinguished in any other way.
The name comes the small circle (纽 niǔ) used to delimit homophone groups in the rime dictionaries.
This distinction occurred only after labial, velar or laryngeal initials in the Qieyun rimes 支 zhī, 脂 zhī, 祭 jì, 宵 xiāo, 鹽 yán,
侵 qīn, 仙 xian and 真 zhēn.
It is generally not reflected in modern varieties of Chinese
Varieties of Chinese
Chinese comprises many regional language varieties sometimes grouped together as the Chinese dialects, the primary ones being Mandarin, Wu, Cantonese, and Min. These are not mutually intelligible, and even many of the regional varieties are themselves composed of a number of...
but is maintained in some Sino-Vietnamese and Sino-Korean loans.
For example, each of the following pairs is separated only in one of the Sinoxenic readings, in which the grade 4 element of the pair is distinguished by palatalization:
| Grade | Character | Beijing | Cantonese | Sino-Vietnamese | Sino-Korean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | mín | man4 | mân | min | |
| 4 | mín | man4 | dân | min | |
| 3 | yān | jim1 | yểm | eom | |
| 4 | yān | jim1 | yểm | yeom |
In the first pair, it is assumed that Vietnamese labials became dentals in a palatal environment.
The nature of the distinction within Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese , also called Ancient Chinese by the linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
is disputed, with some scholars ascribing it to a medial and others to the main vowel.
According to the now prominent theory of S. E. Jaxontov the chongniu division-III syllables (together with all syllables in division II) had a medial -r- in Old Chinese
Old Chinese
The earliest known written records of the Chinese language were found at a site near modern Anyang identified as Yin, the last capital of the Shang dynasty, and date from about 1200 BC....
.
William Baxter, following earlier ideas of E. G. Pulleyblank, holds that division-III chongniu syllables had medials -rj- in Old Chinese, while their counterparts in division IV had a medial -j- before a front vowel.