契丹

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (契丹)		契	丹
simp. #(契丹)		契	丹

Etymology

A Middle Chinese transcription of Khitan 𘱿𘲫 (*qid ún, “Khitan”). First attested in the Book of Wei [554].

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Qìdān

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˋ ㄉㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kit³ daan¹ / sit³ daan¹ / hat¹ daan¹ / kai² daan¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Qìdān
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˋ ㄉㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Cìdan
    • Wade–Giles: Chʻi⁴-tan¹
    • Yale: Chì-dān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Chihdan
    • Palladius: Цидань (Cidanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi⁵¹ tän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: kit³ daan¹ / sit³ daan¹ / hat¹ daan¹ / kai² daan¹
    • Yale: kit dāan / sit dāan / hāt dāan / kái dāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kit⁸ daan¹ / sit⁸ daan¹ / hat⁷ daan¹ / kai² daan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: kid³ dan¹ / xid³ dan¹ / hed¹ dan¹ / kei² dan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰiːt̚³ taːn⁵⁵/, /siːt̚³ taːn⁵⁵/, /hɐt̚⁵ taːn⁵⁵/, /kʰɐi̯³⁵ taːn⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: khj+t tan

Rime
Character	契	丹
Reading #	2/3	1/1
Initial (聲)	溪 (29)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	迄 (58)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	去迄切	都寒切
Baxter	khj+t	tan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kʰɨt̚/	/tɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/kʰɨt̚/	/tɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/kʰiət̚/	/tɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kʰɨt̚/	/tan/
Li Rong	/kʰiət̚/	/tɑn/
Wang Li	/kʰĭət̚/	/tɑn/
Bernard Karlgren	/kʰi̯ət̚/	/tɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qi	dān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hat1	daan1

"Khitan" written in the Khitan small script.

Proper noun

契丹

1. The Khitans (the Mongolic people who ruled Manchuria, then Northern China as the Liao, then Central Asia as the Qara Khitai, from the 9th to 13th century C.E..)

Derived terms

• 契丹大字 (qìdān dàzì)
• 契丹小字 (qìdān xiǎozì)
• 契丹語／契丹语 (qìdānyǔ)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (契丹):

• → Japanese: 契丹(きったん) (Kittan)
• → Korean: 거란(契丹) (Georan)

→ English: Qidan, Ch'itan, Khitan, Cathay

→ Russian: Китай (Kitaj)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
契	丹
きっ Grade: S	たん Grade: S
irregular	on'yomi

Proper noun

契(きっ)丹(たん) • (Kittan) 

1. the Mongolian Khitan tribe that ruled Manchuria from 907–1115 C.E..