Fanqie
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Fǎnqiè (反切; Cantonese IPA: fɑn2tshɪt3) spellings are used to indicate the pronunciation of Chinese characters. The character, of which pronunciation is needed is basically a syllable. The syllable includes the onset, rime and tone.
Basically, the fǎnqiè method is to use two characters to represent the pronunciation of the syllable. The onset is represented by another character with the same onset. The rime is represented by one with the same rime. In Middle Chinese, the tone was represented by the rime character. However, owing to sound changes that have occurred since then, a more complicated rule is used today:
- The yin-yang classification, which arose in some tones due to voicing distinctions in the onset, is determined by the onset character.
- The ping-shang-qu-ru classification, which is kept from Middle Chinese, is determined by the rime character.
Thus
- (Onset & Tone-1) + (Rime & Tone-2) = (Pronunciation of Character)
For example, the character 東 is represented by 德紅切. The third character 切 indicates that this is a fǎnqiè spelling, while the first two characters indicate the onset and rime respectively. Thus the pronunciation of 東 is given as the onset of 德 dé (d<i>) with the rime of 紅 <i>hóng (ong), yielding dong. Also, 德 has a yin ru tone and 紅 has a yang ping tone. (In Modern Mandarin, 德 has a yang ping tone, but tonal developments in Mandarin are somewhat complex and therefore yield irregular results.) So the tone of 東 is yin ping.
Owing to the development of the Chinese language over the last millennium and a half, the fǎnqiè spellings are not always accurate for northern languages of Modern Chinese; for example, the modern pronunciation of 德 is in a yang tone. However, it is still rather accurate for southern Chinese languages such as Cantonese and Hakka, which have preserved many elements of Ancient and Middle Chinese.