太后

Chinese
 
too (much); very; extremely
too (much); very; extremely; highest; greatest
 empress; queen; surname
simp. and trad.
(太后)		 太 后

Etymology

Attested earliest in Stratagems of the Warring States:

周君之秦。謂周最曰：「不如譽秦王之孝也，因以應為太后養地。秦王、太后必喜，是公有秦也。交善，周君必以為公功；交惡，勸周君入秦者，必有罪矣。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
周君之秦。谓周最曰：「不如誉秦王之孝也，因以应为太后养地。秦王、太后必喜，是公有秦也。交善，周君必以为公功；交恶，劝周君入秦者，必有罪矣。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5th – 3rd centuries BCE
Zhōujūn zhī qín. Wèi Zhōu Zuì yuē: “Bùrú yù Qínwáng zhī xiào yě, yīn yǐ yìng wèi tàihòu yǎngdì. Qínwáng, tàihòu bì xǐ, shì gōng yǒu Qín yě. Jiāo shàn, Zhōujūn bì yǐwèi gōng gōng; jiāo è, quàn Zhōujūn rù Qín zhě, bì yǒuzuì yǐ.” [Pinyin]
The Lord of Zhou was going to Qin, and someone spoke to Zhou Zui, saying: "You could do no better than to praise the filial piety of the King of Qin, and take the opportunity to provide land to support the Queen Dowager. The King of Qin and the Queen Dowager will certainly be pleased, and this being so you will gain Qin's support. If relations improve, the Lord of Zhou will attribute the success to you. If they decline, whoever prompted him to go to Qin will certainly be blamed."

Pronunciation

Rime
Character 太 后 后
Reading # 1/1 1/2 2/2
Initial (聲) 透 (6) 匣 (33) 匣 (33)
Final (韻) 泰 (25) 侯 (137) 侯 (137)
Tone (調) Departing (H) Rising (X) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open
Division (等) I I I
Fanqie 他蓋切 胡口切 胡遘切
Baxter thajH huwX huwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɦəuX/ /ɦəuH/
Pan
Wuyun		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɦəuX/ /ɦəuH/
Shao
Rongfen		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɣəuX/ /ɣəuH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /tʰajH/ /ɦəwX/ /ɦəwH/
Li
Rong		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɣuX/ /ɣuH/
Wang
Li		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɣəuX/ /ɣəuH/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /tʰɑiH/ /ɣə̯uX/ /ɣə̯uH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 tài hòu hòu
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex		 taai3 hau6 hau6
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 太 后
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 tài hòu
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ thajH › ‹ huwX ›
Old
Chinese		 /*l̥ˁa[t]-s/ /*ɢˁ(r)oʔ/
English great sovereign; queen

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 太 后 后
Reading # 1/1 1/2 2/2
No. 1937 5168 5172
Phonetic
component		 大 后 后
Rime
group		 祭 侯 侯
Rime
subdivision		 1 0 0
Corresponding
MC rime		 泰 厚 𠋫
Old
Chinese		 /*tʰaːds/ /*ɡoːʔ/ /*ɡoːs/

Noun

太后

  1. empress dowager

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants
Sino-Xenic (太后):
  • → Japanese: 太后(たいこう) (taikō)
  • → Korean: 태후(太后) (taehu)
  • → Vietnamese: thái hậu (太后)

Japanese

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
太 后
たい
Grade: 2		 こう
Grade: 6
on’yomi kan’on

From Middle Chinese 太后 (MC thajH huwX|huwH).

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) たいこー [tàíkóó] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA(key): [ta̠iko̞ː]

Noun

太(たい)后(こう) • (taikō) 

  1. an empress dowager
    Synonym: 皇太后 (kōtaigō)

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
太 后
おお
Grade: 2		 きさき > きさい
Grade: 6
nanori kun’yomi

Extension of 大后 (ōkisaki, “empress”), also read as later ōkisai.

Noun

太(おお)后(きさき) • (ōkisaki) ←おほきさき (ofokisaki)? or 太(おお)后(きさい) • (ōkisai) ←おほきさい (ofokisai)?

  1. (archaic) an empress dowager
    • c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari (Sakaki)
      大(おほ)后(きさき)も参(まゐ)りたまはむとするを...
      ōkisaki mo mairi-tamahan to suru o...
      Though the Empress Dowager also thought she would visit him...
Derived terms
  • 皇太后(おおきさいの)宮(みや) (ōkisai no miya)

References
  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean
Hanja in this term
太后

Noun

太后 • (taehu) (hangeul 태후)

  1. Hanja form? of 태후 (“empress dowager”).

Old Japanese

Etymology

Extension of 大后 (opoki₁saki₁, “empress”).

Noun

太后 (opoki₁saki₁) (kana おほきさき)

  1. an empress dowager
    • 720, Nihon Shoki, Emperor Suizei (first year [581 BCE] and month of reign; Atsuda-bon glosses):
      尊レ皇-后、曰二皇太后一。
      [He] honoured the Empress by granting her [the title] of empress dowager.

Derived terms
  • 皇太后宮 (opoki₁saki₁ no₂ mi₁ya)

Descendants
  • Japanese: 太后 (ōkisaki → ōkisai)

Vietnamese
chữ Hán Nôm in this term
太后

Noun

太后

  1. chữ Hán form of thái hậu (“empress dowager”).
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