刺客

Chinese

		thorn; sting; prick thorn; sting; prick; pierce; stab; thrust; assassinate; murder	customer; visitor; guest
simp. and trad. (刺客)		刺	客

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cìkè

  (Zhuyin): ㄘˋ ㄎㄜˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ci³ haak³, cik³ haak³
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhì-khek / chhì-kheh

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cìkè
    • Zhuyin: ㄘˋ ㄎㄜˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cìhkè
    • Wade–Giles: tzʻŭ⁴-kʻo⁴
    • Yale: tsz̀-kè
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsyhkeh
    • Palladius: цыкэ (cykɛ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰz̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ kʰɤ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ci³ haak³, cik³ haak³
    • Yale: chi haak, chik haak
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsi³ haak⁸, tsik⁸ haak⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: qi³ hag³, qig³ hag³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiː³³ haːk̚³/, /t͡sʰɪk̚³ haːk̚³/

Note: cik3 haak3 - rare.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhì-khek
    • Tâi-lô: tshì-khik
    • Phofsit Daibuun: chie'qeg
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰi²¹⁻⁵³ kʰiɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰi²¹⁻⁴¹ kʰiɪk̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰi¹¹⁻⁵³ kʰiɪk̚³²/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhì-kheh
    • Tâi-lô: tshì-kheh
    • Phofsit Daibuun: chie'qeq
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰi²¹⁻⁴¹ kʰeʔ³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰi¹¹⁻⁵³ kʰeʔ³²/

Noun

刺客

1. assassin (Classifier: 個／个; 位; 名)

   • 張奎仗刀逕入，楊任一時著急，將雲霞獸一磕，至三層圈子內，擊雲板，大呼曰：「有刺客進營！各哨仔細！」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     张奎仗刀迳入，杨任一时着急，将云霞兽一磕，至三层圈子内，击云板，大呼曰：「有刺客进营！各哨仔细！」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: 16th century, 許仲琳 [Xu Zhonglin], 封神演義 (Fēngshén Yǎnyì) [Investiture of the Gods], chapter 87

     Zhāng Kuí zhàng dāo jìngrù, Yáng Rèn yīshí zhāojí, jiāng yúnxiáshòu yī kē, zhì sān céng quānzi nèi, jī yúnbǎn, dàhū yuē: “Yǒu cìkè jìn yíng! Gè shào zǐxì!” [Pinyin]

     Zhang Kui walked in holding his dagger. Yang Ren, suddenly feeling anxious, spurred his cloud-haze beast into the three layers of circles and beat the alarm plank, shouting, "An assassin has entered the camp! Be alert, patrolmen!"

2. (figurative, poetic) rose

   • 若方刺客應神似，奇絕人間聶隱娘。 [MSC, trad.]
     若方刺客应神似，奇绝人间聂隐娘。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: Qing dynasty, 梁修, 〈玫瑰〉, in 《花埭百花诗笺注》, annotated by 梁中民 and 廖国楣, Guangzhou: 广东高等教育出版社, published 1989, page 10

     Ruò fāng cìkè yīng shénsì, qíjué rénjiān Niè Yǐnniáng. [Pinyin]

     If compared to an assassin [the rose] should be alike in spirit, remarkable as the well-known Nie Yinniang.

   • 玫瑰，一個使人瘋狂的使者，一名刺客，不知俘獲了多少人的心。 [MSC, trad.]
     玫瑰，一个使人疯狂的使者，一名刺客，不知俘获了多少人的心。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2011, 薛蒙林; 许胜高, 《仰韶圣地：渑池的高度与荣光》, Beijing: 新华出版社, page 190

     Méiguī, yī ge shǐ rén fēngkuáng de shǐzhě, yī míng cìkè, bùzhī fúhuò le duōshào rén de xīn. [Pinyin]

     The rose, a messenger that makes people crazy, an assassin, no one knows how many hearts it has seized.

   • 旭日顧陽臺，盆中刺客栽。 [MSC, trad.]
     旭日顾阳台，盆中刺客栽。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2015 March 8, 薛为河, 阳台观玫瑰花, in 《薛为河诗词楹联选集》, Beijing: 团结出版社, published 2019, page 15

     Xùrì gù yángtái, pén zhōng cìkè zāi. [Pinyin]

     The rising sun takes care of the balcony; planted in the pot is a prickly guest.

Synonyms

• (assassin): 暗殺者／暗杀者 (ànshāzhě)
• (rose): 玫瑰 (méigui)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (刺客):

• → Japanese: 刺(し)客(かく) (shikaku)
• → Korean: 자객(刺客) (jagaek)
• → Vietnamese: thích khách (刺客)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
刺	客
し Grade: S	きゃく Grade: 3
on’yomi

Kanji in this term
刺	客
せき > せっ Grade: S	かく Grade: 3
on’yomi

Kanji in this term
刺	客
し Grade: S	かく Grade: 3
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しかく [shìkákú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ka̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

• (Tokyo) せっかく [sèkkákú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [se̞k̚ka̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

• (Tokyo) しきゃく [shìkyákú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕi̥kʲa̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

刺(し)客(かく) or 刺(せっ)客(かく) or 刺(し)客(きゃく) • (shikaku or sekkaku or shikyaku) ^{←せきかく (sekikaku)?}

1. Synonym of 暗殺者 (ansatsusha, “assassin”)
2. Synonym of 殺し屋 (koroshiya, “hitman”)
   • 2003 August 12, CLAMP, “Chapitre(シャピトル).2(に) 記(き)憶(おく)の対(たい)価(か) [Chapitre 2: The Cost of Memory]”, in ツバサ ＲＥＳＥＲＶｏｉｒ ＣＨＲｏＮｉＣＬＥ (ツバサ ＲＥＳＥＲＶｏｉｒ ＣＨＲｏＮｉＣＬＥ) [Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle], volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 68:

     は——はははっ！弱(よえ)ぇ！弱(よえ)ぇ！てめぇら！仮(かり)にも刺(し)客(かく)だろ⁉

     Ha——hahaha'! Yoē! Yoē! Temēra! Kari ni mo shikaku daro⁉

     Ha——Hahahah! Too weak! Too weak! And you call yourselves hit men⁉

Korean

Hanja in this term
刺	客

Noun

刺客 • (jagaek) (hangeul 자객)

1. Hanja form^? of 자객 (“assassin”).

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
刺	客

Noun

刺客

1. chữ Hán form of thích khách (“assassin”).