river
→
Milky Way
2 realizations
Related shifts
| ID | Meaning 1 | Direction | Meaning 2 |
-
Comment
| ACCEPTED Realization 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Derivation | |
| language | Japanese | |
| lexeme 1 | kava (川) | |
| lexeme 2 | Amanogawa (天の川) | |
| meaning 1 | river | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | Milky Way | |
| reference | <personally collected data> | |
| comment | 'Heaven river' |
|
| ACCEPTED Realization 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| type | Polysemy | |
| language | Mandarin Chinese | |
| lexeme | hé (河) | |
| meaning 1 | river | |
| direction | → | |
| meaning 2 | (figuratively, obsolete) Milky Way | 湍转则日月似惊, 浪动而星河如覆 (Tuān zhuǎn zé rì yuè shì jīng, làng dòng ér xīnghé rú fù) when the rapids begin to circle, both the sun and the moon look alarmed; when the wave sets in motion, the stars and the Milky Way are about to topple |
| reference | BKRS | |
| comment | Originally particularly used for the Yellow River, with other rivers known as 水 (OC *qʰʷljilʔ). Later extended generally as a word for rivers in northern China but the influence of 江 (OC *kroːŋ, “Yangtze River; river in southern China”) has meant that modern usage tends to favor it for shorter rivers and creeks except in historical cases. | |