亞細亞

See also: 亜細亜 and 亚细亚

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (亞細亞)		亞	細	亞
simp. (亚细亚)		亚	细	亚
alternative forms		亞西亞／亚西亚

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Asia, which is from Ancient Greek Ἀσία (Asía); first attested in Kunyu Wanguo Quantu [1602] by Matteo Ricci.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Yàxìyà, Yǎxìyǎ

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄚˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˋ, ㄧㄚˇ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): aa³ sai³ aa³
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Â-se-â
• Eastern Min (BUC): Ā-sá̤-ā
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): A-sè-a / A-sòe-a

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Yàxìyà
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄚˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yàsìyà
    • Wade–Giles: ya⁴-hsi⁴-ya⁴
    • Yale: yà-syì-yà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yahshihyah
    • Palladius: ясия (jasija)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ jä⁵¹/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, common variant)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Yǎxìyǎ
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄚˇ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yǎsìyǎ
    • Wade–Giles: ya³-hsi⁴-ya³
    • Yale: yǎ-syì-yǎ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeashihyea
    • Palladius: ясия (jasija)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi⁵¹ jä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: aa³ sai³ aa³
    • Yale: a sai a
    • Cantonese Pinyin: aa³ sai³ aa³
    • Guangdong Romanization: a³ sei³ a³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /aː³³ sɐi̯³³ aː³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Â-se-â
    • Hakka Romanization System: a´ se a´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: a¹ se⁴ a¹
    • Sinological IPA: /a²⁴⁻¹¹ se⁵⁵ a²⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Ā-sá̤-ā
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /a³³⁻²¹ ^(s-)lɛ²¹³⁻⁵³ a³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-sè-a
    • Tâi-lô: A-sè-a
    • Phofsit Daibuun: asea'af
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /a³³ se⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ a³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /a⁴⁴⁻²² se²¹⁻⁵³ a⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /a⁴⁴⁻³³ se²¹⁻⁴¹ a⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-sòe-a
    • Tâi-lô: A-suè-a
    • Phofsit Daibuun: asoea'af
    • IPA (Taipei): /a⁴⁴⁻³³ sue¹¹⁻⁵³ a⁴⁴/

Proper noun

亞細亞

1. (dated) Asia (continent)

   • 因其地居三大州之中，凡亞細亞、歐邏巴、利未亞之富商大賈多聚此地。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     因其地居三大州之中，凡亚细亚、欧逻巴、利未亚之富商大贾多聚此地。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1623, Giulio Aleni, 職方外紀

     Yīn qí dì jū sān dà zhōu zhī zhōng, fán Yàxìyà, Ōuluóbā, Lìwèiyà zhī fùshāng dàgǔ duō jù cǐ dì. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (historical) Asia (Roman province)

   • 這樣有兩年之久，叫一切住在亞細亞的，無論是猶太人，是希臘人，都聽見主的道。 [MSC, trad.]
     这样有两年之久，叫一切住在亚细亚的，无论是犹太人，是希腊人，都听见主的道。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 使徒行傳 (Acts) 19:10

     Zhèyàng yǒu liǎng nián zhī jiǔ, jiào yīqiè zhù zài Yàxìyà de, wúlùn shì yóutàirén, shì xīlàrén, dōu tīngjiàn Zhǔ de dào. [Pinyin]

     And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Derived terms

• 亞洲／亚洲 (yàzhōu)
• 小亞細亞／小亚细亚

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (亞細亞):

• → Japanese: 亜細亜(アジア) (ajia)
• → Korean: 아세아(亞細亞) (asea)
• → Vietnamese: Á Tế Á (亞細亞)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
亞	細	亞
あ Jinmeiyō (ateji)	じ Grade: 2 (ateji)	あ Jinmeiyō (ateji)
kan’on	irregular	kan’on

For pronunciation and definitions of 亞細亞 – see the following entry.

【亜細亜アジア】 [proper noun] Dated spelling of アジア (Ajia, “Asia (a continent)”). 【亜細亜アジヤ】 [proper noun] Alternative spelling of アジヤ (Ajia, “(obsolete) Asia (a continent)”)

(This term, 亞細亞, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
亞	細	亞

Noun

亞細亞 • (asea) (hangeul 아세아)

1. Hanja form^? of 아세아 (“Asia”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
亞	細	亞

Noun

亞細亞

1. chữ Hán form of Á Tế Á (“Asia”).