{"id":3026,"date":"2019-10-30T08:23:54","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T08:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-grammar\/most-common-tong-yin-ci-word-homophones-in-mandarin\/"},"modified":"2019-10-30T08:23:54","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T08:23:54","slug":"most-common-tong-yin-ci-word-homophones-in-mandarin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/fr\/most-common-tong-yin-ci-word-homophones-in-mandarin\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Common \u540c\u97f3\u8bcd (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I say “word<\/em>-homophones” deliberately, since I’m referring specifically to \u540c\u97f3\u8bcd (homopho<\/em>nes made up of multi-character words), not \u540c\u97f3\u5b57 (“character-homophones”, when two characters have the same pronunciation).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Most Common \u540c\u97f3\u8bcd (Word-Homophones) in Mandarin<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

yóuyú:<\/strong> <\/span>\u7531\u4e8e (“because of; due to”) and \u9c7f\u9c7c (“squid”)<\/p>\n

chénmò:<\/strong> <\/span>\u6c89\u9ed8 (“silent; taciturn”) and \u6c89\u6ca1 (“to sink”)<\/p>\n

jìyì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u8bb0\u5fc6 (“remember”) and \u6280\u827a (“skill; art”)<\/p>\n

ji\u0101odài:<\/strong> <\/span>\u4ea4\u4ee3 or \u4ea4\u5f85 (“to hand over; to explain; to make clear; et al”) and \u80f6\u5e26 (“tape”)<\/p>\n

yuány\u012bn:<\/strong> <\/span>\u539f\u56e0 (“cause; origin; reason”) and \u5143\u97f3 (“vowel”)<\/p>\n

b\u0113ijù:<\/strong> <\/span>\u60b2\u5267 (“tragedy”) and \u676f\u5177 (“cups; tragedy, as a euphemism”)<\/p>\n

wángguó:<\/strong> <\/span>\u738b\u56fd (“kingdom”) and \u4ea1\u56fd (“country\/kingdom heading for destruction or that has vanished”)<\/p>\n

quánlì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u6743\u5229 (“power; right; privilege”) and \u6743\u529b (“power; authority”)<\/p>\n

yìyì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u610f\u4e49 (“sense; meaning; significance”) and \u5f02\u8bae (“objection; dissent”), plus \u610f\u8bd1 (“meaning-ba<\/em>sed translation”)<\/p>\n

mílù:<\/strong> <\/span>\u8ff7\u8def (“to get lost”) and \u9e8b\u9e7f (“Père David’s deer; milu”)<\/p>\n

b\u01d0shì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u9119\u89c6 (“despise; disdain; look down upon”) and \u7b14\u8bd5 (“written examination”)<\/p>\n

lìzi(z\u01d0):<\/strong> <\/span>\u4f8b\u5b50 (“example”) and \u7c92\u5b50 (“grain; particle”)<\/p>\n

sh\u01d2ushì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u624b\u52bf (“gesture; signal”) and \u9996\u9970 (“jewellery”), plus \u5b88\u52bf (“defensive position”)<\/p>\n

g\u014dngshì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u516c\u5f0f (“formula”) and \u653b\u52bf (“military offensive”)<\/p>\n

xi\u0101ngji\u0101o:<\/strong> <\/span>\u9999\u8549 (“banana”) and \u76f8\u4ea4 (“to cross over; to intersect; to make friends”)<\/p>\n

xíngli(l\u01d0):<\/strong> <\/span>\u884c\u674e (“luggage”) and \u884c\u793c (“to salute”)<\/p>\n

lìhai(hài):<\/strong> <\/span>\u5389\u5bb3 (“ferocious; awesome; et al”) and \u5229\u5bb3 (“pros and cons”)<\/p>\n

d\u01d4zhù:<\/strong> <\/span>\u5835\u4f4f (“to block up”) and \u8d4c\u6ce8 (“stake (in a gamble)”)<\/p>\n

q\u01d0ngkè:<\/strong> <\/span>\u8bf7\u5ba2 (“to entertain guests”) and \u9877\u523b (“instantly”)<\/p>\n

zhìfú<\/strong>: \u5236\u670d (“to subdue; to check; uniform; et al”) and \u5236\u4f0f (“to overpower; to control; et al”)<\/p>\n

pípa:<\/strong> <\/span>\u6787\u6777 (“loquat”) and \u7435\u7436 (“pipa, the Chinese lute”)<\/p>\n

róngyì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u5bb9\u6613 (“easy”) and \u6eb6\u6db2 (“solution, in chemistry” – this homophone exists in Taiwan only, in mainland China it is pro<\/em>nounced róngyè)<\/p>\n

shèngshì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u76db\u4e16 (“prosperous period”) and \u76db\u4e8b (“grand occasion”)<\/p>\n

bàofù:<\/strong> <\/span>\u62a5\u590d (“revenge”) and \u62b1\u8d1f (“aspiration; ambition”)<\/p>\n

jùbiàn:<\/strong> <\/span>\u5de8\u53d8 (“massive changes”) and \u5267\u53d8 (“fast change”)<\/p>\n

x\u012bnsu\u0101n:<\/strong> <\/span>\u5fc3\u9178 (“sad”) and \u8f9b\u9178 (“spicy and sour” – can also be used as a me<\/em>taphor for sadness)<\/p>\n

p\u01d0nwèi:<\/strong> <\/span>\u54c1\u5473 (“to sample; to taste”) and \u54c1\u4f4d (“rank; grade; aesthetic taste”)<\/p>\n

zh\u0113nchá:<\/strong> <\/span>\u4fa6\u67e5 (“to detect; to investigate”) and \u4fa6\u5bdf (“to investigate a crime; to scout; et al”)<\/p>\n

gu\u01cenzhì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u7ba1\u5236 (“to control; to supervise”) and \u7ba1\u6cbb (“to govern”)<\/p>\n

y\u01d0nqíng:<\/strong> <\/span>\u9690\u60c5 (“facts one wishes to keep secret; ulterior motive”) and \u5f15\u64ce (“engine”)<\/p>\n

guòdù:<\/strong> <\/span>\u8fc7\u5ea6 (“excessive”) and \u8fc7\u6e21 (“to cross over; et al”)<\/p>\n

mùdì:<\/strong> <\/span>\u76ee\u7684 (“goal”) and \u5893\u5730 (“graveyard; burial ground; cemetery”)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In addition, any word with “shi” or “li” in Mandarin can be a gamble. There are two particular utterances which may represent the worst homophony in Putonghua:<\/p>\n

shìlì<\/strong>, which can stand for:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u52bf\u529b: power; ability to influence<\/li>\n
  • \u89c6\u529b: vision; eyesight<\/li>\n
  • \u793a\u4f8b: example; typical case<\/li>\n
  • \u4e8b\u4f8b: to illustrate; typical case<\/li>\n
  • \u52bf\u5229: selfishly co<\/em>ncerned with gaining advantages for oneself; favourable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    and <\/span>g\u014dnglì<\/strong>, which can refer to:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \u516c\u5386: Gregorian calendar<\/li>\n
    • \u516c\u7acb: public (facility, institution, etc)<\/li>\n
    • \u529f\u529b: merit; efficacy; et al<\/li>\n
    • \u529f\u5229: utility<\/li>\n
    • \u5de5\u529b: skill and force; manpower<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Hope there are some readers out there who find this post helpful. If you have any additions please leave a comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n