公卿

Chinese

		just; honourable; public just; honourable; public; common; fair; duke; mister	(old) minister; (old) term of endearment between spouses; thou (poet.)
trad. (公卿)		公	卿
simp. #(公卿)		公	卿

Etymology

Originally a clipping of 三公九卿 (Sāngōng Jiǔqīng).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōngqīng

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ ㄑㄧㄥ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gōngqīng
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ ㄑㄧㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gongcing
    • Wade–Giles: kung¹-chʻing¹
    • Yale: gūng-chīng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gongching
    • Palladius: гунцин (guncin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰiŋ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: kuwng khjaeng

Rime
Character	公	卿
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	溪 (29)
Final (韻)	東 (1)	庚 (111)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	古紅切	去京切
Baxter	kuwng	khjaeng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuŋ/	/kʰˠiæŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/kuŋ/	/kʰᵚiaŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/kuŋ/	/kʰiaŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəwŋ/	/kʰiajŋ/
Li Rong	/kuŋ/	/kʰiɐŋ/
Wang Li	/kuŋ/	/kʰĭɐŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/kuŋ/	/kʰi̯ɐŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōng	qīng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gung1	hing1

Noun

公卿

1. (literary) the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers
2. (literary) generic term for all of the high-level ministers and officials within the government

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (公卿):

• → Japanese: 公卿(くぎょう) (kugyō); 公卿(こうけい) (kōkei)
• → Korean: 공경(公卿) (gonggyeong)

References

• 三公 on the Chinese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^zh
• 九卿 on the Chinese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^zh

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
公	卿
く Grade: 2	きょう > ぎょう Jinmeiyō
goon

Alternative spellings
供饗 (table) 公饗 (table)

/kuᵑ kʲau/ → /kuɡʲau/ → /kuɡʲɔː/ → /kuɡʲoː/

From Middle Chinese 公卿 (MC kuwng khjaeng). The 呉音 (goon, literally “Wu sound”) reading, so likely the earlier borrowing from Middle Chinese.

Separately, the 公 (kō, literally “official”) collectively refers to the 太政大臣 (daijō-daijin, “chancellor of the realm”), 左大臣 (sadaijin, “minister of the left”), and 右大臣 (udaijin, “minister of the right”); and 卿 (kei, literally “state minister”) the 大納言 (dainagon, “upper counselor”), 中納言 (chūnagon, “middle counselor”), the court nobility of the third rank or higher, and the 参議 (sangi, “state counselors”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) く​ぎょー [kúꜜgyòò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝɡʲo̞ː]

Noun

公(く)卿(ぎょう) • (kugyō) ^{←くぎやう (kugyau)?}

1. (politics, historical) a court nobleman; the nobility

   Synonyms: 上達部 (kandachime), 公家 (kuge), 卿相 (keishō), 月卿 (gekkei)

2. a small lacquered 膳 (zen, “tray table”) used by kugyō nobles

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)給(きゅう) (kugyōkyū)
• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)僉(せん)議(ぎ) (kugyō sengi)
• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)勅(ちょく)使(し) (kugyō chokushi)
• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)衝(つい)重(がさ)ね (kugyō tsuigasane)
• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)の座(ざ) (kugyō no za)
• 公(く)卿(ぎょう)の間(ま) (kugyō no ma)
• 現(げん)任(にん)の公(く)卿(ぎょう) (gennin no kugyō)
• 地(じ)下(げ)の公(く)卿(ぎょう) (jige no kugyō)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
公	卿
こう Grade: 2	けい Jinmeiyō
kan’on

From Middle Chinese 公卿 (MC kuwng khjaeng).

The 漢音 (kan'on, literally “Han sound”) reading, so likely a later borrowing from Middle Chinese.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こーけー [kòókéé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːke̞ː]

Noun

公(こう)卿(けい) • (kōkei) 

1. (historical) the 三公 (Sankō, “Three Excellencies”) and 九卿 (Kyūkei, “Nine Ministers”) in ancient China
2. (by extension, politics, historical) Same as くぎょう (kugyō) above

See also

• 三(さん)公(こう)九(きゅう)卿(けい) (Sankō Kyūkei)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
公	卿
くげ
Grade: 2	Jinmeiyō
jukujikun

For pronunciation and definitions of 公卿 – see the following entry.

【公家くげ】 [noun] the imperial court [noun] the emperor and courtiers [noun] the nobility in general

(This term, 公卿, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
公	卿
もうちぎみ
Grade: 2	Jinmeiyō
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
卿 大夫

⟨mape₁ tu ki₁mi₁⟩ → */mapʲetukʲimʲi/ → /maɸet͡ɕʉɡimi/ → /maũt͡ɕiɡimi/ → /mɔːt͡ɕiɡimi/ → /moːt͡ɕiɡimi/

Shift from Old Japanese 公卿 (mape₁tuki₁mi₁ → maetsukimi).

Refers to noblemen who serve before the Emperor.

Noun

公卿(もうちぎみ) • (mōchigimi) ^{←まうちぎみ (mautigimi)?}

1. (honorific, archaic) a senior court official

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:公卿.

Derived terms

• 大臣(おおいもうちぎみ) (ōimōchigimi, “Daijō-kan senior official”)
• 姫(ひめ)大夫(もうちぎみ) (himemōchigimi)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
公	卿
まちぎみ
Grade: 2	Jinmeiyō
jukujikun

Alternative spelling
卿

/maut͡ɕiɡimi/ → /mɔ̃t͡ɕiɡimi/ → /mat͡ɕiɡimi/

Shift from mōchigimi above, historical mauchigimi.

Noun

公卿(まちぎみ) • (machigimi) 

1. (honorific, archaic, rare) a senior court official

Derived terms

• 太政大臣(おおまつりごとのおおまつぎみ) (ōmatsurigoto no ōmatsugimi, Wamyōshō spelling)

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
公	卿
まつぎみ
Grade: 2	Jinmeiyō
jukujikun

Coined by Motoori Norinaga in 1798.

Shift from either Old Japanese 公卿 (mape₁tuki₁mi₁ → maetsukimi), mōchigimi (historical mauchigimi), or machigimi above.

Noun

公卿(まつぎみ) • (matsugimi) 

1. (honorific, archaic, rare) a senior court official

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:公卿.

Korean

Hanja in this term
公	卿

Noun

公卿 • (gonggyeong) (hangeul 공경)

1. Hanja form^? of 공경.

Old Japanese

Alternative forms

• 卿, 大夫

Etymology 1

Originally a compound of 前 (mape₁, “head, in front”) +‎ つ (tu, possessive particle) +‎ 君 (ki₁mi₁, “emperor”).

Refers to noblemen who serve before the Emperor.

Noun

公卿 (mape₁tuki₁mi₁) (kana まへつきみ)

1. (honorific) a senior court official

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:公卿.

Derived terms

• 大臣 (opomape₁tuki₁mi₁)

Descendants

• Japanese: 公卿 (maetsukimi → maetsugimi → mōchigimi, in modern Japanese dictionaries)
  • 大臣 (ōmaetsugimi, “Daijō-kan senior official”)

Etymology 2

Possibly a shift from mape₁tuki₁mi₁ above.

Noun

公卿 (matiki₁mi₁) (kana まちきみ)

1. (honorific, rare) a senior court official

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:公卿.

Derived terms

• 姫大夫 (pi₁me₁matiki₁mi₁)

Descendants

• Japanese: 公卿 (machigimi)