漢語(唐代)

Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)

Sinitic (Early Middle Chinese) · historical / hidden variety

FamilySinitic (Early Middle Chinese) SpeakersExtinct ScriptChinese characters CountriesTang Dynasty China (618-907) Official inTang Dynasty Vitalityextinct ISO 639-3lzh

Tang Dynasty Chinese (618-907) is the prestige register of Early Middle Chinese, with the capital Chang'an (modern Xi'an) as its phonological center. This is the linguistic peak that the Qieyun (601 CE) rhyme dictionary and later Yunjing rhyme tables systematically codify, and the form that supplied the Sino-Xenic loanword strata of Japanese (kan-on), Korean (hanja-eum), and Vietnamese (Hán-Việt). The Tang is the canonical golden age of Chinese poetry — Li Bai (701-762), Du Fu (712-770), Wang Wei (701-761), Bai Juyi (772-846) — and a paramount East Asian cultural exporter via the Silk Road, Buddhist exchange (Xuanzang's journeys, 629-645), and the Chang'an cosmopolitan court.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)

Water

/ɕyɪX/

Fire

/xuɑX/

Sun

/ȵit/

Moon

/ŋʉɐt/

Star

/sɛjŋ˧/

Mother

/muX/

Father

/bɨoX/

I

/ŋɑ˧˩/

You

/ɲɨə˧˩/

Name

/miɛjŋ˧/

Eye

/muk/

Hand

/ɕɨuX/

Heart

/sim/

Love

/ʔɑiH/

Tree

/muk/

House

/ʔuk/

Dog

/kʰiuɛnX/

Cat

/mæw/

Eat

/ʑik/

Drink

/ʔimX/

One

/ʔit/

Two

/ȵʑi˥˩/

Hello

萬福

/mʉɐnH piuk/

Thank you

/ziɛH/

Good

/dʑiɛnX/

Cuckoo

布穀

/puoH kuwk/

Computer

/ɖɨu/

Sushi

/tʂaɨʔ/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Early Middle Chinese) languages

Meaning Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)Chinese (Han dynasty Classical)Chinese (Classical)Classical Chinese (Cantonese pedagogical)Hui ChineseOld ChineseCantonese
Water /ɕyɪX/ /ɕiwiɪʔ/ /ɕy˧˩˧/ /sɵy˧˥/ /ɕy˦˦/ /*s.turʔ/ /sɵy˧˥/
Fire /xuɑX/ /huɑiʔ/ /xwo˧˩˧/ /fɔ˧˥/ /xu˦˦/ /*qʷʰˤəjʔ/ /fɔː˧˥/
Sun /ȵit/ /ȵit/ /ʐi˥˩/ /jɐt˨/ 日头 /ʐɨ˨˦tʰəu/ /*C.nik/ 太陽 /tʰaːi˧jœːŋ˨˩/
Moon /ŋʉɐt/ /ŋiuɑt/ /ŋyat/ /jyt˨/ 月光 /yo˨˧kuaŋ˨˦/ /*ŋʷat/ 月光 /jyːt˨ kʷɔːŋ˥/
Star /sɛjŋ˧/ /seŋ/ /siajŋ˧/ /sɪŋ˥/ /sɛ̃˧/ /s-tsʰˤeŋ/ /sɪŋ˥/
Mother /muX/ /muːʔ/ /mu˧˩˧/ /mou˩˧/ /ma˧˧/ /*məʔ/ 媽媽 /maː˥maː˥/
Father /bɨoX/ /biuoʔ/ /fu˥˩/ /fu˨/ /pa˦˦/ /*baʔ/ 爸爸 /paː˨˩paː˥/
I /ŋɑ˧˩/ /ŋɑiˀ/ /ŋɔ˧˩/ /ŋɔ˩˧/ /ŋo˧˩/ /ŋˤajʔ/ /ŋɔ˩˧/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)
逆旅 對面 邸店 所見之
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)
逆旅 對面 邸店 所見之
試穿 酒店 對面 間鋪 入面 見到嘅 套西裝
試穿 客棧 對面 店鋪 看著其 套西裝
客舍 對面 所見之
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装

Han readings compared

Compared with related Sinitic (Middle Chinese) languages

Character Chinese (Tang dynasty Classical)Chinese (Classical)Hailu HakkaHuiyang HakkaTaiwanese HakkaGan Chinese (Yingtan)Gan (Jiangxi)
ʔjiɪt /ʔjiɪt̚/ ʔjit /ʔjit̚/ yit /jit̚˥/ yit /jit̚˩/ id5 /it̚˨/ it⁵ /it̚˥/ it⁵ /it̚˥/
ɲiɪ⁵¹ /ɲiɪ˥˩/ ɲi⁵¹ /ɲi˥˩/ ngì /ŋi˧˧/ ngì /ŋi˥˧/ ngi4 /ŋi˥˥/ ɛ²¹ /ɛ˨˩/ oe²¹ /ɵ˨˩/
sam¹²³ /sam˩˨˧/ sam¹³ /sam˩˧/ sâm /sam˥˧/ sâm /sam˧˧/ sam1 /sam˨˦/ sã⁴² /sã˦˨/ san⁴² /san˦˨/
siɪ⁵¹ /siɪ˥˩/ sz̩⁵¹ /sz̩˥˩/ /si˩˩/ /si˥˧/ si4 /si˥˥/ sɿ⁴⁵ /sɿ˦˥/ si⁴⁵ /sɿ˦˥/
ŋuo²¹⁴ /ŋuo˨˩˦/ ŋu²⁴ /ŋu˨˦/ ńg /ŋ̩˨˦/ ńg /ŋ̍˧˩/ ng3 /ŋ̩˧˩/ ŋ̩²¹³ /ŋ̩˨˩˧/ ng²¹³ /ŋ̩˨˩˧/
liuɪk /liuɪk̚/ liuk /liuk̚/ liu̍k /liuk̚˨/ liu̍k /liuk̚˥/ liug6 /liuk̚˥/ liuq⁵ /liuʔ˥/ liuq⁵ /liuʔ˥/
tsʰiɪt /tsʰiɪt̚/ tsʰit /tsʰit̚/ chhit /tsʰit̚˥/ chhit /tsʰit̚˩/ cid5 /tsʰit̚˨/ tɕʰit⁵ /tɕʰit̚˥/ qhit⁵ /tɕʰit̚˥/
pɛt /pɛt̚/ pat /pat̚/ pat /pat̚˥/ pat /pat̚˩/ bad5 /pat̚˨/ pat⁵ /pat̚˥/ pat⁵ /pat̚˥/
kiuɪ²¹⁴ /kiuɪ˨˩˦/ kiw²⁴ /kiw˨˦/ kiú /kiu˨˦/ kiú /kiu˧˩/ giu3 /kiu˧˩/ tɕiu²¹³ /tɕiu˨˩˧/ jiu²¹³ /tɕiu˨˩˧/
dʑip /dʑip̚/ ʑip /ʑip̚/ shi̍p /ʃip̚˨/ si̍p /sip̚˥/ siib6 /sɨp̚˥/ sɨt⁵ /sɨt̚˥/ sit⁵ /sɨt̚˥/
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