亞細亞

See also: 亜細亜 and 亚细亚

Chinese

	phonetic
trad. (亞細亞)	亞	細	亞
simp. (亚细亚)	亚	细	亚
alternative forms	亞西亞／亚西亚

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin Asia, from Ancient Greek Ἀσία (Asía); first attested in Kunyu Wanguo Quantu [1602] by Matteo Ricci.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): Yàxìyà, Yǎxìyǎ

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄚˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˋ, ㄧㄚˇ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): aa³ sai³ aa³
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Â-se-â
Eastern Min (BUC): Ā-sá̤-ā
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): A-sè-a / A-sòe-a

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Yàxìyà
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄚˋ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yàsìyà
  - Wade–Giles: ya⁴-hsi⁴-ya⁴
  - Yale: yà-syì-yà
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yahshihyah
  - Palladius: ясия (jasija)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi⁵¹⁻⁵³ jä⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese, common variant)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Yǎxìyǎ
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄚˇ ㄒㄧˋ ㄧㄚˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yǎsìyǎ
  - Wade–Giles: ya³-hsi⁴-ya³
  - Yale: yǎ-syì-yǎ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yeashihyea
  - Palladius: ясия (jasija)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕi⁵¹ jä²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: aa³ sai³ aa³
  - Yale: a sai a
  - Cantonese Pinyin: aa³ sai³ aa³
  - Guangdong Romanization: a³ sei³ a³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /aː³³ sɐi̯³³ aː³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Â-se-â
  - Hakka Romanization System: a^ˊ se a^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: a¹ se⁴ a¹
  - Sinological IPA: /a²⁴⁻¹¹ se⁵⁵ a²⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: Ā-sá̤-ā
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /a³³⁻²¹ ^(s-)lɛ²¹³⁻⁵³ a³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-sè-a
  - Tâi-lô: A-sè-a
  - Phofsit Daibuun: asea'af
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /a³³ se⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ a³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /a⁴⁴⁻²² se²¹⁻⁵³ a⁴⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /a⁴⁴⁻³³ se²¹⁻⁴¹ a⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: A-sòe-a
  - Tâi-lô: A-suè-a
  - Phofsit Daibuun: asoea'af
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /a⁴⁴⁻³³ sue¹¹⁻⁵³ a⁴⁴/

Proper noun

亞細亞

(dated) Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)
- 因其地居三大州之中，凡亞細亞、歐邏巴、利未亞之富商大賈多聚此地。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  因其地居三大州之中，凡亚细亚、欧逻巴、利未亚之富商大贾多聚此地。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1623, Giulio Aleni, 職方外紀
  Yīn qí dì jū sān dà zhōu zhī zhōng, fán Yàxìyà, Ōuluóbā, Lìwèiyà zhī fùshāng dàgǔ duō jù cǐ dì. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
(historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)
- 這樣有兩年之久，叫一切住在亞細亞的，無論是猶太人，是希臘人，都聽見主的道。 [MSC, trad.]
  这样有两年之久，叫一切住在亚细亚的，无论是犹太人，是希腊人，都听见主的道。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 使徒行傳 (Acts) 19:10
  Zhèyàng yǒu liǎng nián zhī jiǔ, jiào yīqiè zhù zài Yàxìyà de, wúlùn shì yóutàirén, shì xīlàrén, dōu tīngjiàn Zhǔ de dào. [Pinyin]
  And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Usage notes

During the Qing Dynasty, some Chinese scholars were upset at this transcription due to the use of the character 細, meaning "small", which was seen as insulting to China by describing its continent as "small" or inferior to European empires.

Derived terms

亞洲 / 亚洲 (Yàzhōu)
小亞細亞 / 小亚细亚

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (亞細亞):

→ Japanese: 亜細亜(アジア) (ajia)
→ Korean: 아세아(亞細亞) (asea)
→ Vietnamese: Á Tế Á (亞細亞)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
亞	細	亞
あ Jinmeiyō (ateji)	じ Grade: 2 (ateji)	あ Jinmeiyō (ateji)
kan'on	irregular	kan'on

For pronunciation and definitions of 亞細亞 – see the following entry.

【亜細亜アジア】

[proper noun] dated spelling of アジア (Ajia):

[proper noun] Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

1. (historical) Asia (an ancient province of the Roman Empire in western Anatolia, existing between 133 BC (during the Roman Republic) and the 7th century AD)

【亜細亜アジヤ】

[proper noun] (obsolete) alternative spelling of アジヤ (Ajiya): Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

(This term, 亞細亞, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
亞	細	亞

Noun

亞細亞 • (asea) (hangeul 아세아)

(dated) hanja form^? of 아세아 : Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
亞	細	亞

Noun

亞細亞

(rare, obsolete) chữ Hán form of Á Tế Á: Asia (the largest continent, located between Europe and the Pacific Ocean)