陛下

Chinese

		the steps to the throne	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter
trad. (陛下)		陛	下
simp. ^#(陛下)		陛	下

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bìxià

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): bai⁶ haa⁶
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): pi-ha
Eastern Min (BUC): bê-hâ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): pē-hā

(Teochew, Peng'im): bi⁶ ê⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bìxià
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bìsià
  - Wade–Giles: pi⁴-hsia⁴
  - Yale: bì-syà
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bihshiah
  - Palladius: бися (bisja)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕi̯ä⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: bai⁶ haa⁶
  - Yale: baih hah
  - Cantonese Pinyin: bai⁶ haa⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: bei⁶ ha⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐi̯²² haː²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pi-ha
  - Hakka Romanization System: bi ha
  - Hagfa Pinyim: bi⁴ ha⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /pi⁵⁵ ha⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: bê-hâ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²⁴²⁻⁵³ ^(h-)ɑ²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pē-hā
  - Tâi-lô: pē-hā
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pexha
  - Sinological IPA (Taipei): /pe³³⁻¹¹ ha³³/
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /pe²²⁻²¹ ha²²/
  - Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /pe³³⁻²¹ ha³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: bi⁶ ê⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pĭ ĕ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³⁵⁻¹¹ e³⁵/

Middle Chinese: bejX haeX

Rime
Character	陛	下
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	並 (3)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	齊 (39)	麻 (98)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	IV	II
Fanqie	傍禮切	胡雅切
Baxter	bejX	haeX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/bei^X/	/ɦˠa^X/
Pan Wuyun	/bei^X/	/ɦᵚa^X/
Shao Rongfen	/bɛi^X/	/ɣa^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bɛj^X/	/ɦaɨ^X/
Li Rong	/bei^X/	/ɣa^X/
Wang Li	/biei^X/	/ɣa^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱiei^X/	/ɣa^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bì	xià
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bai⁶	haa⁶

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*biːʔ ɡraːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	下
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xià
Middle Chinese	‹ hæ^X ›
Old Chinese	/*ɡˁraʔ/
English	down
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	陛	下
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	506	13445
Phonetic component	比	下
Rime group	脂	魚
Rime subdivision	2	0
Corresponding MC rime	陛	下
Old Chinese	/*biːʔ/	/*ɡraːʔ/

Noun

陛下

(honorific) Your Majesty; His Majesty; Her Majesty

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (陛下):

→ Japanese: 陛(へい)下(か) (heika)
→ Korean: 폐하(陛下) (pyeha)
→ Vietnamese: bệ hạ (陛下)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
陛	下
へい Grade: 6	か Grade: 1
kan'on

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 陛下 (bej^X hae^X).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) へーか [héꜜèkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]
(Kyōto) へーか [héꜜèkà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[4]
IPA^(key): [he̞ːka̠]
Audio: (file)

Noun

陛(へい)下(か) • (heika)

(rare, attributive) down the steps to the emperor's palace, looking up
Coordinate terms: 閣下, 猊下, 殿下
(monarchy) Your Majesty; His Majesty; Her Majesty
Coordinate terms: 閣下, 猊下, 殿下

天(てん)皇(のう)陛(へい)下(か)
Tennō Heika
His Imperial Majesty the Emperor

皇(こう)后(ごう)陛(へい)下(か)
Kōgō Heika
Her Imperial Majesty the Empress (Consort)

天(てん)皇(のう)皇(こう)后(ごう)両(りょう)陛(へい)下(か)
Tennō Kōgō Ryōheika
Their Imperial Majesties the Emperor and Empress (Consort)

女(じょ)王(おう)陛(へい)下(か)
Joō Heika
Her Royal Majesty the Queen (Regnant)
- 2004 May 1, Izawa, Hiroshi with Yamada, Kotaro, “第(だい)28話(わ)　揺(ゆ)れる王(おう)国(こく) [Chapter 28: The Kingdom Shaken]”, in ファイアーエムブレム覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], volume 7 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, pages 150–151:
  勘(かん)違(ちが)いされては困(こま)る　貴(き)様(さま)のためになど戦(たたか)うつもりは毛(もう)頭(とう)ない！わしをつき動(うご)かすのは国王陛下(モルドレッド様)への忠(ちゅう)誠(せい)心(しん)のみ！
  Kanchigai sarete wa komaru Kisama no tame ni nado tatakau tsumori wa mōtō nai! Washi o tsukiugokasu no wa Kokuō Heika (Morudoreddo-sama) e no chūseishin nomi!
  Make no mistake, I have no intention of fighting for you! I am doing it only because I swore allegiance to His Majesty!

References

^ Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 “陛下”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

“陛下”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

Korean

Hanja in this term
陛	下

Noun

陛下 • (pyeha) (hangeul 폐하)

hanja form^? of 폐하 (“Your Majesty”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
陛	下

Noun

陛下

chữ Hán form of bệ hạ (“Your Majesty”)

[SMK7-1] Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[NKD2-4] 4.0 ^4.1 “陛下”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

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