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Definition 2024

苜蓿

Chinese

		clover	clover, lucerne
simp. and trad. (苜蓿)		苜	蓿
alt. forms		目宿牧宿牧蓿木粟

Noun

苜蓿

Medicago (a genus of flowering plants including alfalfa)

Derived terms

Sino-Xenic (苜蓿):

Japanese: 苜蓿 (もくしゅく) ‎(mokushuku)
Korean: 목숙 (苜蓿, moksuk)
Vietnamese: mục túc ‎(苜蓿)

Etymology

Borrowed from a Central Asian language during the Han Dynasty (Laufer, 1967). Compare Tibetan བུག་སུག ‎(bug sug, “alfalfa; bird's-foot trefoil”), Ladakhi [script needed] ‎(bukhsukh, “Nepeta salviaefolia”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): mùxu, mùsù

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄨˋ ㄒㄩ˙, ㄇㄨˋ ㄙㄨˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): muk⁶ suk¹
Min Nan (POJ): bo̍k-siok

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)⁺
  - Pinyin: mùxu
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄨˋ ㄒㄩ˙
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: muh.shiu
  - IPA ^(key): /mu⁵¹ ɕy¹/
- (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan, common variant in Mainland)⁺
  - Pinyin: mùsù
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄨˋ ㄙㄨˋ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: muhsuh
  - IPA ^(key): /mu⁵¹⁻⁵³ su⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: muk⁶ suk¹
  - Yale: muhk sūk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: muk⁹ suk⁷
  - IPA ^(key): /mʊk̚² sʊk̚⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bo̍k-siok
  - Tâi-lô: bo̍k-siok
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bogsiog
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bɔk̚⁴⁻²¹ ɕiɔk̚³²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bɔk̚²⁴⁻²² ɕiɔk̚⁵/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bɔk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ ɕiɔk̚³²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bɔk̚⁴⁻³² ɕiɔk̚³²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bɔk̚⁴⁻³² ɕiɔk̚³²/

Middle Chinese: /mɨuk̚|muɑt̚ sɨuk̚/▼

Rime
Character	苜	苜	蓿
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	明 (4)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	屋 (4)	末 (64)	屋 (4)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)	Checked (Ø)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	I	III
Fanqie	莫六切	莫撥切	息逐切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mɨuk̚/	/muɑt̚/	/sɨuk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/miuk̚/	/mʷɑt̚/	/siuk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/miuk̚/	/muɑt̚/	/siuk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/muwk̚/	/mwat̚/	/suwk̚/
Li Rong	/miuk̚/	/muɑt̚/	/siuk̚/
Wang Li	/mĭuk̚/	/muɑt̚/	/sĭuk̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/mi̯uk̚/	/muɑt̚/	/si̯uk̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mù	mò	su

Old Chinese▼
(Zhengzhang): /*moːd|muɡ suɡ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	苜	苜	蓿
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
No.	9332	9334	12106
Phonetic component	目	目	宿
Rime group	月	覺	覺
Rime subdivision	3	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	末	目	肅
Old Chinese	/*moːd/	/*muɡ/	/*suɡ/
Notes	上從卝，與蔑同源	見史記	見史記，漢書作宿