神木

Chinese

 
God; unusual; mysterious
God; unusual; mysterious; soul; spirit; divine essence; lively; spiritual being
tree; wood
simp. and trad.
(神木)
神 木

Pronunciation


Noun

神木

  1. sacred tree

Proper noun

神木

  1. (~市, formerly ~縣) Shenmu (a county-level city and former county of Yulin, Shaanxi, China)

Japanese

Etymology 1

神木 (shinboku, kanki): a sacred tree encircled with a shimenawa belt.
Kanji in this term
神 木
しん
Grade: 3
ぼく
Grade: 1
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
神木 (kyūjitai)

Possibly from Middle Chinese 神木 (MC zyin muwk, literally “god + tree”). Compare modern Min Nan reading sîn-bo̍k. The Japanese term uses the kan'on, suggesting a later borrowing.

Alternatively, may have been coined in Japan as a compound of Middle Chinese-derived elements, as 神 (shin, “god, spirit”) + 木 (boku, “tree”).

Pronunciation

Noun

神(しん)木(ぼく) • (shinboku) 

  1. a sacred or holy tree
Synonyms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
神 木
かむ > かん
Grade: 3
き
Grade: 1
kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
神木 (kyūjitai)

/kamuki/ → /kaɴki/

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of 神 (kamu, “god, spirit”, ancient combining reading) +‎ 木 (ki, “tree”).[2] Appears with the older kamuki phonetic rendering in the Man'yōshū poetry compilation completed in 759 CE.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [kã̠ŋʲkʲi]

Noun

神(かん)木(き) • (kanki) 

  1. (obsolete) (see shinboku above)
Usage notes

Superseded by the shinboku reading above.

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
神 木
さか
Grade: 3
き
Grade: 1
irregular kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
神木 (kyūjitai)

Alternative spelling of 榊 (sakaki) as jukujikun (熟字訓), likely based on a partial decomposition of the 榊 character into its 神 and 木 components.

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) さかき [sàkákí] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA(key): [sa̠ka̠kʲi]

Noun

神(さか)木(き) • (sakaki) 

  1. (rare) a sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica)

References

  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
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