Chinese

Noun

小康

1. comparatively good living standard
2. a period of peace and prosperity

Japanese

Etymology

/seukau/ → /ɕeukau/ → /ɕeukɔː/ → /ɕoːkoː/

From Middle Chinese compound 小康 ‎(sjew^X khang, literally “small + tranquil”). Compare modern Cantonese siu² hong¹ or Mandarin xiǎokāng.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) しょうこう [shòókóó] (Heiban - [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɕo̞ːko̞ː]

Noun

小康 ‎(hiragana しょうこう, romaji shōkō, historical hiragana せうかう)

1. a lull, a respite, a breathing spell, a short time of peace

Derived terms

• 小康状態 (しょうこうじょうたい) ‎(shōkō jōtai): a state of reduced activity

References

1. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9