四海

Chinese

		four	ocean; sea
simp. and trad. (四海)		四	海
Literally: “the four seas”.

Etymology

In Ancient China, it was thought that China was surrounded by ocean on all four sides. Eventually, this phrase came to mean "all four directions" or "everywhere."

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): sìhǎi

(Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): sei³ hoi²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): si-hói
Min Nan (POJ): sìr-hái / sù-hái

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Pinyin: sìhǎi
  - Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄏㄞˇ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhhae
  - IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ xaɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: sei³ hoi²
  - Yale: sei hói
  - Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ hoi²
  - Guangdong Romanization: séi³ hoi²
  - IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ hɔːi̯³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: si-hói
  - Hakka Romanization System: xi hoi`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: xi⁴ hoi³
  - IPA: /ɕi⁵⁵ ho̯i³¹/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sìr-hái
  - Tâi-lô: sìr-hái
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ haɪ⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: mainstream Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sù-hái
  - Tâi-lô: sù-hái
  - Phofsit Daibuun: suo'hae
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su²¹⁻⁵³ haɪ⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /su²¹⁻⁴¹ haɪ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /su¹¹⁻⁵³ haɪ⁵³/

Noun

四海

(literary, figuratively) the world; the whole world

Derived terms

五洲四海
五湖四海 (wǔhúsìhǎi)
名揚四海／名扬四海
四海一家 (sìhǎi yījiā)
四海之內皆兄弟／四海之内皆兄弟
四海承風／四海承风
四海昇平／四海升平
四海歸心／四海归心

四海為家／四海为家 (sìhǎiwéijiā)
四海稱臣／四海称臣
四海鼎沸
放之四海而皆準／放之四海而皆准
目空四海
眼空四海
縱橫四海／纵横四海

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