膏肓

Chinese

		ointment; paste	region between heart and diaphragm
trad. (膏肓)		膏	肓
simp. ^#(膏肓)		膏	肓

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gāohuāng

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄠㄏㄨㄤ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gou¹ fong¹
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): ko͘-hong / ko͘-bông / ko-hong

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gāohuāng
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄠㄏㄨㄤ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gaohuang
  - Wade–Giles: kao¹-huang¹
  - Yale: gāu-hwāng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gauhuang
  - Palladius: гаохуан (gaoxuan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɑʊ̯⁵⁵ xu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: gou¹ fong¹
  - Yale: gōu fōng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gou¹ fong¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: gou¹ fong¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kou̯⁵⁵ fɔːŋ⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko͘-hong
  - Tâi-lô: koo-hong
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ko'hofng
  - Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /kɔ³³ hɔŋ³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko͘-bông
  - Tâi-lô: koo-bông
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ko'boong
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ bɔŋ²⁴/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /kɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ bɔŋ²³/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko-hong
  - Tâi-lô: ko-hong
  - Phofsit Daibuun: koi'hofng
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /ko⁴⁴⁻²² hɔŋ⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: kaw xwang

Rime
Character	膏	肓
Reading #	1/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	曉 (32)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)	唐 (102)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	古勞切	呼光切
Baxter	kaw	xwang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑu/	/hwɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑu/	/hʷɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑu/	/xuɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kaw/	/hwaŋ/
Li Rong	/kɑu/	/xuɑŋ/
Wang Li	/kɑu/	/xuɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kɑu/	/xwɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gāo	huāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gou¹	fong¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*kaːw hmaːŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	膏	肓
Reading #	1/2	1/1
No.	3727	12650
Phonetic component	高	亡
Rime group	宵	陽
Rime subdivision	1	0
Corresponding MC rime	髙	荒
Old Chinese	/*kaːw/	/*hmaːŋ/

Noun

膏肓

(traditional Chinese medicine) fat region between the heart and the diaphragm (near the apex of the heart, a region which is regarded in traditional Chinese medicine as being unreachable by medicament); vital organs; finalized disease; finalized illness; suffering of the humans and hardships of the popular

Derived terms

泉石膏肓
病入膏肓 (bìngrùgāohuāng)
病在膏肓
病染膏肓
膏肓之疾

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
膏	肓
こう Jinmeiyō	こう Hyōgai
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 膏肓 (MC kaw xwang).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こーこー [kòókóó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ːko̞ː]

Noun

膏(こう)肓(こう) • (kōkō) ^{←かうくわう (kaukwau)^?}

vital organs

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
膏	肓
こう Jinmeiyō	もう Hyōgai
on'yomi

Misreading of the 肓 kanji as 盲 (mō, “blind”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こーもー [kòómóó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ːmo̞ː]

Noun

膏(こう)肓(もう) • (kōmō) ^{←かうまう (kaumau)^?}

(proscribed) alternative form of 膏肓 (kōkō)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

“^▲膏^▲肓”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026