問鼎

Chinese

		to ask	ancient bronze cauldron; throne; (Min) wok
trad. (問鼎)		問	鼎
simp. (问鼎)		问	鼎

Etymology

From Zuozhuan:

楚子伐陸渾之戎，遂至於雒，觀兵於周疆。定王使王孫滿勞楚子，楚子問鼎之大小輕重焉。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

楚子伐陆浑之戎，遂至于雒，观兵于周疆。定王使王孙满劳楚子，楚子问鼎之大小轻重焉。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

Chǔ Zǐ fá Lùhún zhī róng, suì zhì yú Luò, guān bīng yú Zhōu jiāng. Dìngwáng shǐ Wángsūn Mǎn lào Chǔ Zǐ, Chǔ Zǐ wèn dǐng zhī dàxiǎo qīngzhòng yān. [Pinyin]

The Viscount of Chu attacks the barbaric tribes of Luhun. Then he arrives at Luoyi and parades his armies within the border of Zhou. The King Ding sends Wangsun (Prince) Man to reward the viscount. (The Viscount) asks (Man) about the size and weight of the Nine Dings (the symbol of the utmost authority over the inhabited world).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wèndǐng

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄧㄥˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): man⁶ ding²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wèndǐng
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄣˋ ㄉㄧㄥˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wùndǐng
    • Wade–Giles: wên⁴-ting³
    • Yale: wèn-dǐng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wenndiing
    • Palladius: вэньдин (vɛnʹdin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wən⁵¹ tiŋ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: man⁶ ding²
    • Yale: mahn díng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: man⁶ ding²
    • Guangdong Romanization: men⁶ ding²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɐn²² tɪŋ³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: mjunH tengX

Rime
Character	問	鼎
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	文 (59)	青 (125)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	IV
Fanqie	亡運切	都挺切
Baxter	mjunH	tengX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mɨunH/	/teŋX/
Pan Wuyun	/miunH/	/teŋX/
Shao Rongfen	/miuənH/	/tɛŋX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/munH/	/tɛjŋX/
Li Rong	/miuənH/	/teŋX/
Wang Li	/mĭuənH/	/tieŋX/
Bernard Karlgren	/mi̯uənH/	/tieŋX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèn	dǐng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	man6	ding2

Verb

問鼎

1. to aspire to the throne
2. to invade
3. to get involved with
4. to aim at (the first place etc); to compete for