裡海

Chinese

		inside; within; in inside; within; in; lining of clothing	ocean; sea
trad. (裡海/裏海)		裡/裏	海
simp. (里海)		里	海
Literally: “internal sea”.

Etymology

Literally "inland sea" or "inland lake", attested in the book 《海國聞見錄》 (An Account of Seas and Lands) by the 18th-century Qing naval officer Chen Lunjiong (陳倫烱).

裏海者，諸國環而繞之：東北細密里也，西北俄羅斯，東三馬爾丹，西惹鹿惹也，西南東多爾其，南包社大白頭。內注大海，不通海棹；其水惟從包社出海，故為裏海。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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里海者，诸国环而绕之：东北细密里也，西北俄罗斯，东三马尔丹，西惹鹿惹也，西南东多尔其，南包社大白头。内注大海，不通海棹；其水惟从包社出海，故为里海。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 陳倫烱 (1730) “小西洋記”, in 海國聞見錄 (in Chinese), volume 1, published 1793, page 29

Lǐhǎi zhě, zhū guó huán ér rào zhī: dōngběi Xìmìlǐyě, xīběi Éluósī, dōng Sānmǎ'ěrdān, xī Rělùrěyě, xīnán Dōng Duō'ěrqí, nán Bāoshè Dà Báitóu. Nèi zhù dàhǎi, bùtōng hǎi zhào; qí shuǐ wéi cóng Bāoshè chūhǎi, gù wéi Lǐhǎi. [Pinyin]

The Inland Sea is surrounded by the following nations. To the northeast, Siberia; northwest, Russia; east, Samarkand; west, Georgia; southwest, East Turkey; and the south, Pars the Greater White-Turbans. It is a great inland sea into which rivers flow, and it is separated from the maritime routes. Its water only drains into the ocean from Pars. For this it is called the Inland Sea.

Chen's account contained numerous anachronisms and inaccuracies such as the supposed drainage from Persia. Nevertheless, later Chinese geographers such as Wei Yuan (魏源) and He Qiutao (何秋濤) quoted extensively from Chen. He Qiutao correctly identified the lake as truly endorheic.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Lǐ Hǎi

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧˇ ㄏㄞˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): leoi⁵ hoi²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Lǐ Hǎi [Phonetic: líhǎi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧˇ ㄏㄞˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Lǐ Hǎi
    • Wade–Giles: Li³ Hai³
    • Yale: Lǐ Hǎi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Lii Hae
    • Palladius: Ли Хай (Li Xaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li²¹⁴⁻³⁵ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: leoi⁵ hoi²
    • Yale: léuih hói
    • Cantonese Pinyin: loey⁵ hoi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: lêu⁵ hoi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɵy̯¹³ hɔːi̯³⁵/

Proper noun

裡海

1. Caspian Sea

Derived terms

• 裡海虎／里海虎 (lǐhǎihǔ)