Chinese characters : List with all references

Character: 河

Modern (Beijing) reading: hé

Preclassic Old Chinese: ghāj

Classic Old Chinese: ghāj

Western Han Chinese: ɣāj

Eastern Han Chinese: ɣǟ

Early Postclassic Chinese: ɣā

Middle Postclassic Chinese: ɣā

Late Postclassic Chinese: ɣā

Middle Chinese: ɣâ

Fanqie: 核莪

Rhyme class: 歌

English meaning : river; the Yellow River

Russian meaning[s]: 1) река; 2) сокр. р. Хуанхэ

Shuowen gloss: 水. 出敦煌塞外昆侖山. 發原注海. 從水. 可聲.

Comments: River; the Yellow River. Initial *gh- is suggested by Fuzhou ɔ² (see RDFS 127). The original meaning was 'ford', cf. the external evidence.

Sino-Tibetan etymology: Sino-Tibetan etymology

Dialectal data: Dialectal data

Radical: 85

Four-angle index: 2996

Karlgren code: 0001 g-h

Vietnamese reading: hà

Shijing occurrences: 1.1, 43.1, 43.2, 45.1_, 45.2, 47.1_, 57.4

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Sino-Tibetan etymology :

Proto-Sino-Tibetan: *khāl (~ gh-, qh-, Gh-)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: river, ford

Chinese: 河 *ghāj river.

Tibetan: rgal a ford, rgal (p., f. brgal, i. rgol) to ford (a river), to step over etc.

Kachin: ukhan² a ford.

Lushai: kal walk, go

Lepcha: krul the bed of river or course of mountain, the divisions of land or country (?)

Comments: Peiros-Starostin 216; Coblin 59-60. ? Cf. Lush. kai (kai) to cross over (as river); Kulung el- 'flow (of a river)'.

Chinese Dialects :

Number: 612

Chinese etymology: Chinese etymology

Character: 河

MC description : 果開一平歌匣

ZIHUI: 3109 0202

Beijing: xô 12

Jinan: xǝ 12

Xi'an: xuo 12

Taiyuan: xǝ 1

Hankou: xo 12

Chengdu: xo 12

Yangzhou: xo 12

Suzhou: ɦǝu 12

Wenzhou: vu 12

Changsha: xo 12

Shuangfeng: ɣû 12

Nanchang: ho 12

Meixian: hɔ 12

Guangzhou: hɔ 12

Xiamen: ho 12

Chaozhou: ho 12

Fuzhou: ɔ 12

Shanghai: ɦu 32

Zhongyuan yinyun: xo 12

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Sino-Caucasian etymology :

Proto-Sino-Caucasian: *xḳǝ̆́wɫV

Meaning: ravine, river

North Caucasian: *ḳ_ɨ̆wɫV

Sino-Tibetan: *khāl (~ gh-, qh-, Gh-)

Yenisseian: *qoʔl (~χ-,-r)

Comments and references : Cf. *ḳălhV́ (for PST *khāj 'cross over' cf. PY *gaj 'go round, return'?)

North Caucasian etymology :

Proto-North Caucasian: *ḳ_ɨ̆wɫV

Meaning: mountain ridge; gorge, ravine

Proto-Nakh: *gul

Proto-Avaro-Andian: *ḳ:alV ( ~ -o-)

Proto-West Caucasian: *ḳʷa-

Notes: Although not very widely represented, the root seems quite reliable phonetically and semantically. See Abdokov 1983, 94.

Nakh etymology :

Proto-Nakh: *gul

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: mountain ridge

Chechen: gul

Comments: Obl. base gula-. Perhaps related is also Bacb. gul 'lump (of dough)', if we suppose a metaphorical usage of the original root in Bacbi.

Avar-Andian etymology :

Protoform: *ḳ:alV ( ~ -o-)

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: ravine

Avar: ḳ:al

Akhvakh: ḳ:ʷā

Chamalal: ḳ:al

Tindi: k:al (Gudava)

Karata: ḳ:al

Bagvalal: ḳal

Comments: Av. paradigm C (ḳ:alá-l, ḳ:ála-l). Cf. also Kar. Tok. ḳ:eli id. Some Andian forms may be borrowed from Avar.

Abkhaz-Adyghe etymology :

Proto-West-Caucasian: *ḳʷa-

North Caucasian etymology: North Caucasian etymology

Meaning: 1 small river 2 ravine

Abkhaz: a-ḳʷára 1

Abaza: ḳʷarǝ 2

Comments: PAT *ḳʷa-rV (cf. also Bzyb. a-ḳʷár 'small river'). *-rV is probably a suffix (cf. an analogous suffix in Abkh. a-q̇ʷa-rá 'rocky river bank' etc.).

Yenisseian etymology :

Proto-Yenisseian: *qoʔl (~χ-,-r)

Sino-Caucasian etymology: Sino-Caucasian etymology

Meaning: river (Подкаменная Тунгуска); bay, backwater

Ket: qɔʔĺ "Подкаменная Тунгуска", Sur. qäʁɔĺ⁵ "Подкаменная Тунгуска during flood" (lit. "big qɔʔĺ); qɔʔĺ, pl. qɔĺiń⁵, Kur. qɔ:ĺi⁴; South. qɔĺ⁴ "bay, backwater"

Yug: xɔʔl "Подкаменная Тунгуска"; xɔʔl, pl. xo:ĺ "bay, backwater"

Comments: ССЕ 260. The South.-Imb. and Kur. forms reflect a plural *qōl ( = Yug xo:ĺ). Cf. perhaps also Ar. kalgun-il-sat (М., Сл.) "river" - although this compound may in fact mean "small river" (kalqona "small", see *ʒVl). Werner 2, 122 (doubts the relationship of the river name and the word for "bay", but gives no reasons).