上窮碧落下黃泉

See also: 上穷碧落下黄泉

Chinese

		up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	exhausted; poor	sky; blue sky	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter	yellow spring; underground spring; underworld yellow spring; underground spring; underworld; the land of the dead
trad. (上窮碧落下黃泉)		上	窮	碧落	下	黃泉
simp. (上穷碧落下黄泉)		上	穷	碧落	下	黄泉
Literally: “(Searched) thoroughly up in the blue beyond (as well as) down in the Yellow Springs (below the earth).”

Etymology

From the Song of Everlasting Regret in 806 CE, by poet Bai Juyi.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán

(Zhuyin): ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán
  - Zhuyin: ㄕㄤˋ ㄑㄩㄥˊ ㄅㄧˋ ㄌㄨㄛˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄑㄩㄢˊ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shanq chyong bihluoh shiah hwangchyuan
  - IPA ^(key): /ʂɑŋ⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ʊŋ³⁵ pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ lu̯ɔ⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹ xu̯ɑŋ³⁵ t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn³⁵/

Idiom

上窮碧落下黃泉

to search high and low
- 那個在美軍攻佔巴格達之時悄然蒸發，讓十數萬大軍在長達 8 個月時間裡「上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見」的薩達姆，卻一直像幽靈一般困擾著佔領當局。 [MSC, trad.]
  那个在美军攻占巴格达之时悄然蒸发，让十数万大军在长达 8 个月时间里“上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见”的萨达姆，却一直像幽灵一般困扰着占领当局。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2003: 李学江 (Li Xuejiang), 人民时评：也说萨达姆被捉
  Nàge zài Měi jūn gōngzhàn Bāgédá zhī shí qiāorán zhēngfā, ràng shí shù wàn dàjūn zài cháng dá 8 ge yuè shíjiān lǐ “shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán, liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bù jiàn” de Sàdámǔ, què yīzhí xiàng yōulíng yībān kùnrǎo zhe zhànlǐng dāngjú. [Pinyin]
  Saddam had disappeared into thin air shortly after the American forces took Baghdad. For eight months, he caused hundreds of thousands of soldiers to search high and low, but was no where to be found. Despite this, he continued to haunt the occupation authorities like a phantom.

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