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The ''Yunjing'' () is one of the two oldest existing examples of a Chinese rhyme table – a series of charts which arrange
Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji ...
in large tables according to their tone and syllable structures to indicate their proper pronunciations. Current versions of the ''Yunjing'' date to AD 1161 and 1203 editions published by Zhang Linzhi (張麟之). The original author(s) and date of composition of the ''Yunjing'' are unknown. Some of its elements, such as certain choices in its ordering, reflect features particular to the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, but no conclusive proof of an actual date of composition has yet been found. The ''Yunjing'' contains 43 tables (), each of which tabulates combinations of a particular final rhyme (listed in rows) with various initials (listed in columns), in up to four tones, to show in a grid pattern all possible syllables. Empty circles on the grid denote that the author(s) were unaware of any word with that particular pronunciation. By locating a character in ''Yunjing'', a reader could identify its initial consonant (by looking at its column) and its "rhyme", or main vowel and ending consonant (by looking at its row), and combine the two to obtain the word's pronunciation. Zhang Linzhi's prefaces list a total of 36 possible initial consonants () – by comparison, modern
Standard Mandarin Standard Chinese ()—in linguistics Standard Northern Mandarin or Standard Beijing Mandarin, in common speech simply Mandarin, better qualified as Standard Mandarin, Modern Standard Mandarin or Standard Mandarin Chinese—is a modern standa ...
only has 23 and modern
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
only has 18 or 19. Historical Chinese phonology uses the ''Yunjing'' as an accurate representation of Late Middle Chinese (10th – 12th century) phonology. The ''Yunjings use of this system represents a significant advancement in the Chinese' analysis of their own language, and is believed to have been inspired by their studies of
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
phonological treatises and
Buddhist mantras Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
written in the Siddham script during the Sui and Tang dynasties.


Layout


Rows (Finals/Rhymes)

Each of the 43 tables in the ''Yunjing'' is first divided into four large rows that correspond to the
four tones of Middle Chinese The four tones of Chinese poetry and dialectology () are four traditional tone classes of Chinese words. They play an important role in Chinese poetry and in comparative studies of tonal development in the modern varieties of Chinese, both in tr ...
: the level tone (), the rising tone (), the departing tone (), and the entering tone (). They are not explicitly marked as such, but the four characters are taken from each of the tone categories of the ''
Guangyun The ''Guangyun'' (''Kuang-yun''; ) is a Chinese rime dictionary that was compiled from 1007 to 1008 under the patronage of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Its full name was ''Dà Sòng chóngxiū guǎngyùn'' (, literally "Great Song revised and ex ...
''
rhyme dictionary A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book () is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary that collates characters by tone and rhyme, instead of by radical. The most important rime dictionary tradition began with the '' Qieyun'' (601), w ...
. In the image at right, the first row – the level tone – is occupied by the level tone rhyme ''dōng'' 東, the second row – the rising tone – by the ''dǒng'' 董 rhyme, the third row – the departing tone – by ''sòng'' 送, and the fourth row – the entering tone – by ''wū'' 屋 (
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
: uk1). Each large row is further subdivided into four grades or divisions (), forming four rows within each larger row. Characters' placement in the first through fourth grade seems to be related to their medial (glide) and main vowel, though their exact distinction is unclear.


Columns (Initials)

Each table is divided into six large columns representing syllables'
place of articulation In articulatory phonetics, the place of articulation (also point of articulation) of a consonant is a location along the vocal tract where its production occurs. It is a point where a constriction is made between an active and a passive articula ...
: *"Lip sounds" () *"Tongue sounds" () *" Molar sounds" () *"Tooth sounds" () *"Throat sounds" () *"Tongue-tooth sounds" () Large columns are further subdivided into two to five smaller columns, which can represent one of four possible sub-categories: **"Clear" sounds () –
voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, it is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word phonation implies ...
unaspirated **"Secondarily-clear" sounds () –
voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, it is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word phonation implies ...
aspirated **"Muddy" sounds () –
voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer ...
**"Clear-muddy" sounds () –
nasal stop In phonetics, a nasal, also called a nasal occlusive or nasal stop in contrast with an oral stop or nasalized consonant, is an occlusive consonant produced with a lowered velum, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The vast majori ...
s The ''Yunjing'' tables have only 23 columns – some columns represent more than one of the 36 possible initial consonants. Other rhyme tables, such as the ''Qieyun zhizhangtu'' (), do not combine the initials and have 36 full columns.


See also

*
Rhyme dictionary A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book () is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary that collates characters by tone and rhyme, instead of by radical. The most important rime dictionary tradition began with the '' Qieyun'' (601), w ...
* '' Qiyin lüe''


Citations

*


Further reading

* Coblin, W. South. "Northwest reflections on the ''Yunjing''." ''T’oung Pao'' 82 (1996): 349-363. *
Pulleyblank, Edwin G. Edwin George "Ted" Pulleyblank (August 7, 1922 – April 13, 2013) was a Canadian sinologist and professor at the University of British Columbia. He was known for his studies of the historical phonology of Chinese. Life and career Edwin G. ...
"''Qieyun'' and ''Yunjing'': The Essential Foundation for Chinese Historical Linguistics." ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 118.2 (1998): 200-216.


External links


''Yunjing''
(page scans) at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

''Yunjing''
(page scans) at the
Chinese Text Project The Chinese Text Project (CTP; ) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books ...
{{Authority control Chinese dictionaries Middle Chinese Song dynasty Traditional Chinese phonology 12th-century Chinese books