無名指

See also: 无名指

Chinese

	to not have a name; anonymous; nameless to not have a name; anonymous; nameless; unknown; unnotable; unremarkable	finger; to point; to direct finger; to point; to direct; to indicate
trad. (無名指)	無名	指
simp. (无名指)	无名	指
Literally: “nameless finger”.

Etymology

From Mencius:

今有無名之指，屈而不信，非疾痛害事也，如有能信之者，則不遠秦楚之路，為指之不若人也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

今有无名之指，屈而不信，非疾痛害事也，如有能信之者，则不远秦楚之路，为指之不若人也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Mencius, c. 4^th century BCE

Jīn yǒu wúmíng zhī zhǐ, qū ér bù shēn, fēi jítòng hàishì yě, rú yǒu néng shēn zhī zhě, zé bù yuǎn Qín Chǔ zhī lù, wèi zhǐ zhī bù ruò rén yě. [Pinyin]

Here is a man whose fourth finger is bent and cannot be stretched out straight. It is not painful, nor does it incommode his business, and yet if there be any one who can make it straight, he will not think the way from Qin to Chu far to go to him; because his finger is not like the finger of other people.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): wúmíngzhǐ

(Zhuyin): ㄨˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓˇ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): wu² min² zi³
Cantonese (Jyutping): mou⁴ ming⁴ zi²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): mò-miàng-chṳ́ / mò-miàng-chí
Eastern Min (BUC): mò̤-miàng-*cāi
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bû-bêng-cháiⁿ
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶wu-min-tsy
Xiang (Hengyang, Wiktionary): fu² min² zr³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wúmíngzhǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄨˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄓˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wúmíngjhǐh
  - Wade–Giles: wu²-ming²-chih³
  - Yale: wú-míng-jř
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wumingjyy
  - Palladius: уминчжи (uminčži)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /u³⁵ miŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: wu² min² zi³
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: uminz
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /vu²¹ min²¹ t͡sz̩⁵³/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: mou⁴ ming⁴ zi²
  - Yale: mòuh mìhng jí
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mou⁴ ming⁴ dzi²
  - Guangdong Romanization: mou⁴ ming⁴ ji²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mou̯²¹ mɪŋ²¹ t͡siː³⁵/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mò-miàng-chṳ́
  - Hakka Romanization System: mo^ˇ miang^ˇ zii^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: mo² miang² zi³
  - Sinological IPA: /mo¹¹ mi̯aŋ¹¹ t͡sɨ³¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mò-miàng-chṳ́ / mò-miàng-chí
  - Hakka Romanization System: mo^ˇ miang^ˇ zii^ˋ / mo^ˇ miang^ˇ ji^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: mo² miang² zi³ / mo² miang² ji³
  - Sinological IPA: /mo¹¹ mi̯aŋ¹¹ t͡sɨ³¹/, /mo¹¹ mi̯aŋ¹¹ t͡si³¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: mò̤-miàng-*cāi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mo⁵³⁻³³ miaŋ⁵³⁻³³ t͡sai³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bû-bêng-cháiⁿ
  - Tâi-lô: bû-bîng-tsáinn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bu'bengzvae
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bu²⁴⁻²² biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² t͡sãi⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bu²⁴⁻²² biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² t͡sãi⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bu¹³⁻²² biɪŋ¹³⁻²² t͡sãi⁵³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bu²⁴⁻¹¹ biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sãi⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bu²³⁻³³ biɪŋ²³⁻³³ t͡sãi⁴¹/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶wu-min-tsy
  - MiniDict: wu^去 min tsy
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhu-min-tsr
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦu²² min⁵⁵ t͡sz̩²¹/
Xiang
- (Hengyang)
  - Wiktionary: fu² min² zr³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /v̥u¹¹ min¹¹ t͡sz̩³³/

Noun

無名指

ring finger

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 無名指 (“ring finger”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		無名指
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	四拇指, 護國寺 childish
	Taiwan	無名指
	Ulanhot	無名指
	Tongliao	無名指
	Chifeng	無名指, 四拇指頭
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	無名指, 四拇指
	Harbin	無名指
	Shenyang	無名指
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	四拇指
	Tangshan	四拇指
	Cangzhou	無名指
	Baoding	四拇指
	Shijiazhuang	四拇指
	Jinan	無名指
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	無名兒指
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Qingdao	無名指
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	無名指, 四拇指頭
	Wanrong	四面手圪頭, 四面面
	Zhengzhou	四拇指頭
	Xi'an	四門指頭, 無名指
	Xining	四指, 四拇指頭, 四拇哥兒
	Xuzhou	無名指
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	無名指
	Bayanhot	無名指
	Lanzhou	四指, 四拇指
	Ürümqi	四拇指頭, 四拇指
	Jimsar	四拇指頭
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	四指拇兒, 無名指
	Chongqing	四指拇兒
	Wuhan	四指甲, 無名指
	Guiyang	四指拇
	Kunming	四拇指, 無名指 literary
	Guilin	四指媽
	Liuzhou	四指, 無名指
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	無名指, 四指抹頭, 四指頭, 四馬指, 荷花葉
	Yangzhou	無名指, 四麻指
	Nantong	四拇指頭
	Hefei	無名指
Cantonese	Guangzhou	無名指, 四指
	Hong Kong	無名指
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	無名指
	Macau	無名指
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	無名指, 四指
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	無名指
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	無名指
	Foshan	無名指, 四指
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	尾二指
	Foshan (Shunde)	無名指
	Foshan (Sanshui)	無名指
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	無名指
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	四指
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	四指
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	四指
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	四指
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	四指
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	四指
	Taishan	無名指, 尾二
	Kaiping (Chikan)	無名指
	Enping (Niujiang)	無名指
	Heshan (Yayao)	無名指
	Dongguan	無名指
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	無名指
	Shaoguan	無名指
	Yunfu	無名指, 無名字
	Xinyi	無名指
	Lianjiang	無名指
	Nanning	無名指, 四指
	Wuzhou	無名指, 四指
	Yulin	無名指
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	典人指
Gan	Lichuan	四手節
Gan	Pingxiang	第四隻手指腦
Hakka	Meixian	四手指
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	無名指
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	無名指
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	無名指
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	無名指
	Yudu	無名指, 細手指
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	無名指, 矮㑁指, 蘸藥指
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	無名指, 矮㑁指, 蘸藥指
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	無名指
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	無名指
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	無名指, 矮㑁指, 蘸藥指
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	尾二指
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	無名指
	Sabah (Longchuan)	無名指
	Singkawang	無名指
Huizhou	Jixi	無名指
Huizhou	Shexian	無名指
Jin	Taiyuan	四拇指頭
	Xinzhou	四拇指頭
	Taibus (Baochang)	無名指
	Linhe	四指
	Jining	無名指
	Hohhot	四拇哥兒, 四拇指
	Baotou	無名指
	Dongsheng	無名指
	Haibowan	無名指
	Zhangjiakou	無名指
	Handan	無名指, 四拇指頭
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	無名指
	Fuqing	尾二指, 無名指
	Matsu	無名指
Southern Min	Xiamen	䆀指, 尾二指
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	尾二指
	Quanzhou	尾二指, 佬仔指
	Jinjiang	佬仔指
	Zhangzhou	佬仔指
	Zhao'an	無名指
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	愛媠
	Kaohsiung	尾二指
	Yilan	尾仔二指, 尾仔第二指
	Kinmen	佬仔
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	四指仔
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	無名指
	Chaozhou	狐狸指
	Haifeng	煞尾第二指
	Haikou	第四手囝
	Qionghai	無名
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	四指
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	無名指
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	無名指
Wu	Shanghai	無名指, 黃狼節頭
	Shanghai (Chongming)	四節頭
	Suzhou	無名節頭, 要好看
	Danyang	四拇指頭
	Hangzhou	無名指
	Ningbo	無名指
	Wenzhou	無名指
	Jinhua	無名指
Xiang	Changsha	四指腦, 四指拇
	Hengyang	無名指
	Quanzhou	無名指

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
無	名	指
む Grade: 4	めい Grade: 1	し Grade: 3
on'yomi

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 無名指 (mɨo miᴇŋ t͡ɕˠiɪX, literally “no, without + name + finger”). Compare modern Cantonese reading mou⁴ ming⁴ zi², Hakka mò-miàng-chí.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) むめーし [mùméꜜèshì] (Nakadaka – [2])^[1]
IPA^(key): [mɯ̟me̞ːɕi]

Noun

無(む)名(めい)指(し) • (mumeishi)

Synonym of 薬指: ring finger

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
無	名	指
Grade: 4	Grade: 1	ゆび Grade: 3
irregular

Calque of Middle Chinese 無名指 (“unnamed finger”), swapping the readings of the first two kanji to match Japanese word order.

This reading is more commonly spelled 名無し指.

Alternative forms

名無し指 (more common)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ななしゆび [nànáshíꜜyùbì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
IPA^(key): [na̠na̠ɕijɯ̟bʲi]

Noun

無名指(ななしゆび) • (nanashiyubi)

Synonym of 薬指 (kusuriyubi): ring finger

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]