倷

; Suzhounese Wu “you”
: However, Chen and Pan (1999) argue that it is a contraction of 汝儂. They suggest that 儂 may have undergone a change: /*neŋ/ > /*nẽ/ > /ne/. Thus, 汝 /n̩/ + 儂 /ne/ > /ne/. Compare Shanghainese 儂 /nʊŋ/, which also derives from 汝儂 /n̩ nʊŋ/.


熊

According to Shuowen, phono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声, OC *ɢʷlɯm): semantic 能 (“bear”) + abbreviated phonetic 炎 (OC *ɦlam).
This character originally represented an onomatopoetic word (熊熊 (xióngxióng, “(of flame) raging”)). Later its semantic component 能 (OC *nɯː, *nɯːs, *nɯːŋ, *nɯːŋʔ), the character for the Old Chinese word "bear", was borrowed for another word. This character thus began to represent the word "bear" instead.
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *d-wam. Cognate with Tibetan དོམ (dom, “bear”), Burmese ဝံ (wam) (in ဝက်ဝံ (wak-wam, “bear”)).

Han compound

What dreams are lucky?
They have been about black bears and brown bears;
They have been about asps and adders.

The Classic of Poetry, c. 11ᵗʰ – 7ᵗʰ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Jí mèng wéi hé?
Wéi xióng wéi pí,
Wéi huǐ wéi shé.

吉夢維何？
維熊維羆、
維虺維蛇。

吉梦维何？
维熊维罴、
维虺维蛇。

(archaic, Muping and Xining Mandarin, Xinzhou Jin) black bear


姑娘

→ Japanese: 姑娘 (kūnyan)

→ Korean: 꾸냥 (kkunyang), 쿠냥 (kunyang)

→ Russian: ку́ня (kúnja)

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑŋ²/

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑ̃ɻ²/

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/ku²⁴ niɑŋ²⁴/

/kuː⁵⁵ nœːŋ²¹/

/kuː⁵⁵ nœːŋ²¹⁻³⁵/

/ku⁴² n̠ʲiɔŋ²/

/ku²⁴ ŋi̯oŋ¹¹/

/ku¹¹ niɒ̃⁴⁵/

/kɔ³³ niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niũ²³/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻²² niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niɔ̃²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻²² niɔ̃¹³/

/ku⁵⁵ n̠ʲiã²¹/

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑŋ²/

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑ̃ɻ²/

/ku⁵⁵ ni̯ɑŋ³⁵/

/ku²⁴ niɑŋ²⁴/

/kuː⁵⁵ nœːŋ²¹/

/kuː⁵⁵ nœːŋ²¹⁻³⁵/

/ku⁴² n̠ʲiɔŋ²/

/ku²⁴ ŋi̯oŋ¹¹/

/ku¹¹ niɒ̃⁴⁵/

/kɔ³³ niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niũ²³/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻²² niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niũ²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ niɔ̃²⁴/

/kɔ⁴⁴⁻²² niɔ̃¹³/

/ku⁵⁵ n̠ʲiã²¹/

(Muping Mandarin) young sorceress; young witch


兔崽子

/tʰu⁵¹ t͡saɪ̯²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴/

/tʰu⁵¹ t͡saɪ̯²¹⁴ d͡z̥z̩⁴/

(Harbin and Muping Mandarin) little rabbit; bunny


雞子

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/ki̯e²⁴ t͡sɨ³¹/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/ki̯e²⁴ t͡sɨ³¹/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩ɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ t͡sz̩ɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩²/

/t͡ɕi⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩²/

/kɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵/

(Jiaoliao Mandarin, including Muping Mandarin, Changhai) male genitalia; penis


熊人

/hʊŋ²¹ jɐn²¹⁻³⁵/

/hʊŋ²¹ jɐn²¹⁻³⁵/

(Muping Mandarin) honest but incompetent person


水鱉子

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛ⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩²/

/sɵy̯³⁵ piːt̚³ t͡siː³⁵/

/ʂu̯eɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ pi̯ɛ⁵⁵ d͡z̥z̩²/

/sɵy̯³⁵ piːt̚³ t͡siː³⁵/


豬子

/t͡su²⁴ t͡sɨ³¹/

/t͡ʃu⁵³ t͡sɨ²⁴/

/t͡su²⁴ t͡sɨ³¹/

/t͡ʃu⁵³ t͡sɨ²⁴/


大前日

/taːi̯²² t͡sʰiːn²¹ jɐt̚²/

/ai³² tʰen²² ᵑɡit̚²¹⁻²¹⁵/

/tai⁵⁵ t͡ʃʰin⁴² jɐt̚⁵⁵/

/tʰai̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰi̯en¹¹ ŋit̚²/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰiɛn¹¹ ŋit̚¹/

/tuɛ⁵⁵ t͡sʰiŋ³³ ni⁴²/

/tua¹¹ t͡sõĩ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zik̚⁴/

/du²² ʑi⁵⁵ n̠ʲiɪʔ²¹/

/taːi̯²² t͡sʰiːn²¹ jɐt̚²/

/ai³² tʰen²² ᵑɡit̚²¹⁻²¹⁵/

/tai⁵⁵ t͡ʃʰin⁴² jɐt̚⁵⁵/

/tʰai̯⁵⁵ t͡sʰi̯en¹¹ ŋit̚²/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰiɛn¹¹ ŋit̚¹/

/tuɛ⁵⁵ t͡sʰiŋ³³ ni⁴²/

/tua¹¹ t͡sõĩ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ d͡zik̚⁴/

/du²² ʑi⁵⁵ n̠ʲiɪʔ²¹/

(Muping Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Northern Min, Teochew, Wu) three days ago

GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)


做媒人

/t͡so²¹³⁻⁵⁵ mui⁵³⁻⁵⁵ nˡøyŋ⁵³/

/t͡sue⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ m̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ m̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡so²¹⁻⁵³ bun¹³⁻²² laŋ¹³/

/t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ hm̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sɔ²¹⁻⁵⁵ buɛ²² naŋ²²/

/t͡so²¹³⁻⁵⁵ mui⁵³⁻⁵⁵ nˡøyŋ⁵³/

/t͡sue⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ m̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ m̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡so²¹⁻⁵³ bun¹³⁻²² laŋ¹³/

/t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ hm̩²⁴⁻²² laŋ²⁴/

/t͡sɔ²¹⁻⁵⁵ buɛ²² naŋ²²/

(Muping Mandarin, dialectal Cantonese, Min, Wu) to be a matchmaker or go-between (between prospective marriage partners)


胡椒粉兒

(Muping Mandarin) Erhua form of 胡椒粉 (hújiāofěn).


下力

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹/

/haː²² lɪk̚²/

/he²²⁻²¹ lat̚⁴/

/hɛ²²⁻²¹ lat̚¹²¹/

/ja²² lɪk̚²⁴/

/ɕi̯a̠²¹⁻¹¹ li²⁴/

/ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ li⁵¹/

/haː²² lɪk̚²/

/he²²⁻²¹ lat̚⁴/

/hɛ²²⁻²¹ lat̚¹²¹/

/ja²² lɪk̚²⁴/

/ɕi̯a̠²¹⁻¹¹ li²⁴/

(Muping Mandarin) hardworking; industrious


萬後年

/uan²¹³ xəu²¹³ nʲiɛn²¹/

/uan²¹³ xəu²¹³ nʲiɛn²¹/

(Muping Mandarin, Sichuanese) three years from now


巴狗兒

/pä⁵⁵ kɤʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

/pä⁵⁵ kɤʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

(Beijing and Muping Mandarin) Pekingese (dog)


流子

/li̯əu̯¹³ t͡sz̩³/

/li̯əu̯¹³ t͡sz̩³/


使費

/ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹/

/sɐi̯³⁵ fɐi̯³³/

/ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹/

/sɐi̯³⁵ fɐi̯³³/

(dialectal, including Cantonese, Hakka, Muping Mandarin) expense


幔子

/män⁵¹ d͡z̥z̩¹/

/män⁵¹ d͡z̥z̩¹/