empire known as modern Kiangsu, over which 孫權 Sun Ch'üan ruled as first Emperor.
224. | 爭 | 漢 | 鼎 | fought for the sovereignty of the Hans. | |
Chêng1 | han4 | ting3 | |||
Contend | han | tripod |
Chêng see line 214.
Han see line 214.
Ting is a picture of a bronze vessel with three legs and two handles, used for burning incense. It is here figuratively employed, just as throne is often used in English.
225. | 號 | 三 | 國 | They were called the Three Kingdoms, | |
Hao4 | san1 | kuo2 | |||
Name | three | kingdom |
Hao see line 137.
San see title.
Kuo see line 155. [The period covered by these rival Kingdoms was only about 45 years in all, yet it is one of the most famous in Chinese history and is the subject of a widely-known historical romance, based upon the tragedies enacted while the empire was thus torn by civil war.]
226. | 迄 | 兩 | 晉 | and existed until the Two Chin dynasties. | |
Ch'i3 | liang3 | chin4 | |||
Reach | two | chin |
Ch'i is composed of the walking radical with 乞 ch'i to beg as phonetic. It is also read hsi3, and commonly means until. [Eitel has "Followed by the reigns of the Two Tsin" but there is no authority for such a rendering.]
Liang is composed of 一 i one, with an obsolete word meaning again as both radical and phonetic; i.e. one taken again = two.