river
→
Milky Way
1 realization
Related shifts
| ID | Meaning 1 | Direction | Meaning 2 |
-
Comment
| ACCEPTED Realization 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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. | |