北海

Chinese

		north	ocean; sea
trad. (北海)		北	海
simp. #(北海)		北	海
anagram		海北

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Běihǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bak¹ hoi²
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Pak-hái

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Běihǎi [Phonetic: béihǎi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄟˇ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Běihǎi
    • Wade–Giles: Pei³-hai³
    • Yale: Běi-hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Beeihae
    • Palladius: Бэйхай (Bɛjxaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bak¹ hoi²
    • Yale: bāk hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bak⁷ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: beg¹ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐk̚⁵ hɔːi̯³⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pak-hái
    • Tâi-lô: Pak-hái
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pakhae
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pak̚⁵⁻²⁴ hai⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pak̚³²⁻⁵ hai⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ hai⁴¹/

Proper noun

北海

1. (literary, figurative) the most remote area in the north

   • 君處北海，寡人處南海，唯是風馬牛不相及也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君处北海，寡人处南海，唯是风马牛不相及也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translation from Zuozhuan: Commentary on the "Spring and Autumn Annals" (2017), by Stephen Durrant, Wai-yee Li and David Schaberg

     Jūn chù běihǎi, guǎrén chù nánhǎi, wéi shì fēng mǎ niú bù xiàngjí yě. [Pinyin]

     "Your ruler dwells near the northern sea, while I, the unworthy one, dwell near the southern sea. Even when our horses and cattle are in heat, they cannot come close to one another.

   • 北海雖賒，扶搖可接；東隅已逝，桑榆非晚。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     北海虽赊，扶摇可接；东隅已逝，桑榆非晚。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 7th century, 王勃 (Wang Bo), 滕王閣序

     Běihǎi suī shē, fúyáo kě jiē; dōngyú yǐ shì, sāngyú fēi wǎn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. North Sea
3. Beihai, Beijing

   北海公園／北海公园  ―  Běihǎi Gōngyuán  ―  Beihai Park

4. (～市) Beihai (a prefecture-level city in Guangxi, China)
5. (historical) Kingdom of Beihai (west of present-day Changle County, Shandong)
6. Butterworth (a town in Penang, Malaysia)
7. Bohai Sea

   • 挾太山以超北海，語人曰『我不能』，是誠不能也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     挟太山以超北海，语人曰『我不能』，是诚不能也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

     Xié Tàishān yǐ chāo Běihǎi, yù rén yuē ‘wǒ bùnéng’, shì chéng bùnéng yě. [Pinyin]

     In such a thing as taking the Tai mountain under your arm, and leaping over the north sea with it, if you say to people "I am not able to do it," that is a real case of not being able.

Synonyms

• (Bohai Sea): 渤海 (Bó Hǎi)

Derived terms

• 北海道 (Běihǎidào)
• 挾泰山以超北海／挟泰山以超北海 (xié tàishān yǐ chāo běihǎi)

 

Descendants

• → English: Beihai, Pakhoi

Japanese

Kanji in this term
北	海
ほく > ほっ Grade: 2	かい Grade: 2
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
北海 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ほっかい [hòkkáí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ho̞k̚ka̠i]

Noun

北(ほっ)海(かい) • (hokkai) ^{←ほくかい (fokukai)?}

1. northern sea

   Antonym: 南海 (nankai)

Proper noun

北(ほっ)海(かい) • (Hokkai) ^{←ほくかい (fokukai)?}

1. North Sea

See also

• 北(ほっ)海(かい)道(どう) (Hokkaidō)

Korean

Hanja in this term
北	海

Noun

北海 • (bukhae) (hangeul 북해)

1. Hanja form^? of 북해.