<p>As your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_tones_%28Chinese%29#Distribution_in_modern_Chinese">linked table</a> indicates, the Middle Chinese 陰上 tone generally corresponds to Cantonese tone 2 and Mandarin tone 3, so it is indeed curious that you see both words having tone 4 in Mandarin, which typically corresponds to Middle Chinese 去 tones or 陽上 tones where the syllable onset is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstruent">obstruent</a> (全濁聲母).</p>

<p>Looking up the characters in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangxi_Dictionary">Kangxi Dictionary 《康熙字典》</a> appears to hint at a possible explanation:</p>

<blockquote>
  <h1><a href="http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&amp;file=77415&amp;page=871#04">竟</a></h1>
  
  <p>【廣韻】【韻會】【正韻】居慶切，音敬。窮也，終也。</p>
  
  <p>From the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangyun">Guangyun</a>, <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%8A%E9%9F%BB%E6%9C%83%E8%88%89%E8%A6%81">Yunhui</a>, and <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A3%E9%9F%BB">Zhengyun</a>: Initial of 居; final and tone of 慶; pronounced 敬. Means limit, final.</p>
  
  <p>【集韻】舉影切，音景。與境同，界也。</p>
  
  <p>From the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiyun">Jiyun</a>: Initial of 舉; final and tone of 影; pronounced 景. Means the same as 境, boundary.</p>
  
  <h1><a href="http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&amp;file=77415&amp;page=237#17">境</a></h1>
  
  <p>【唐韻】【正韻】居影切。</p>
  
  <p>From the <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%94%90%E9%9F%BB">Tangyun</a> and <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A3%E9%9F%BB">Zhengyun</a>: Initial of 居; final and tone of 影.</p>
  
  <p>【集韻】【韻會】舉影切，音景。</p>
  
  <p>From the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiyun">Jiyun</a> and <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%8A%E9%9F%BB%E6%9C%83%E8%88%89%E8%A6%81">Yunhui</a>: Initial of 舉; final and tone of 影; and pronounced 景.</p>
  
  <p>[BTW, if you're wondering what  is, <a href="http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/yitia/fra/fra00018.htm">it's a variant of 並</a>.]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The entry for 境 indicates that it has a 上 tone (since 影 and 景 both have 上 tones), as expected; however, it also indicates that the pronunciation of 竟 in its primary meaning has a 去 tone (since 慶 and 敬 both have 去 tones).  Only when 竟 is used as a substitute for 境 is it pronounced with a 上 tone.</p>

<p>From this, we should expect that 竟 is pronounced <em>ging3</em> in Cantonese and <em>jing4</em> in Mandarin and that 境 is pronounced <em>ging2</em> in Cantonese and <em>jing3</em> in Mandarin; however, because 竟 can be used as a substitute for 境, perhaps their tones ended up getting mixed up, with Cantonese settling on <em>ging2</em> and Mandarin settling on <em>jing4</em> for both characters?  This is purely speculation on my part, but I haven't found any other sources that explain this.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-07-27T09:06:44.927Z
2012-07-27T09:06:44.927Z
Claw
<p>竟 and 境 are both read <code>ging2</code> in Cantonese, which usually corresponds to a third tone syllable in Mandarin (as is the case for 警, which is <code>ging2</code> in Cantonese and <code>jing3</code> in Mandarin).</p>

<p>However, both of them end up as <code>jing4</code> in Mandarin. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_tones" rel="nofollow">This table</a> which gives sound correspondences from the Middle Chinese tones indicates it should be in tone class 3, but the Mandarin reflex is not third tone as expected.</p>

<p>點解呢? (为什么呢?)</p>

<mandarin><cantonese><tones><middle-chinese>
Tone of 竟 and 境 in Mandarin and Cantonese
# Tone of 竟 and 境 in Mandarin and Cantonese

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-07-27)

竟 and 境 are both read `ging2` in Cantonese, which usually corresponds to a third tone syllable in Mandarin (as is the case for 警, which is `ging2` in Cantonese and `jing3` in Mandarin).

However, both of them end up as `jing4` in Mandarin. [This table](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_tones) which gives sound correspondences from the Middle Chinese tones indicates it should be in tone class 3, but the Mandarin reflex is not third tone as expected.

點解呢? (为什么呢?)

**Tags:** mandarin, cantonese, tones, middle-chinese


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2012-07-27. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

As your [linked table](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_tones_%28Chinese%29#Distribution_in_modern_Chinese) indicates, the Middle Chinese 陰上 tone generally corresponds to Cantonese tone 2 and Mandarin tone 3, so it is indeed curious that you see both words having tone 4 in Mandarin, which typically corresponds to Middle Chinese 去 tones or 陽上 tones where the syllable onset is an [obstruent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obstruent) (全濁聲母).

Looking up the characters in the [Kangxi Dictionary 《康熙字典》](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangxi_Dictionary) appears to hint at a possible explanation:

> # [竟](http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=77415&page=871#04)
>
> 【廣韻】【韻會】【正韻】居慶切，音敬。窮也，終也。
>
> From the [Guangyun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangyun), [Yunhui](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%8A%E9%9F%BB%E6%9C%83%E8%88%89%E8%A6%81), and [Zhengyun](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A3%E9%9F%BB): Initial of 居; final and tone of 慶; pronounced 敬. Means limit, final.
>
> 【集韻】舉影切，音景。與境同，界也。
>
> From the [Jiyun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiyun): Initial of 舉; final and tone of 影; pronounced 景. Means the same as 境, boundary.
>
> # [境](http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=en&file=77415&page=237#17)
>
> 【唐韻】【正韻】居影切。
>
> From the [Tangyun](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%94%90%E9%9F%BB) and [Zhengyun](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A3%E9%9F%BB): Initial of 居; final and tone of 影.
>
> 【集韻】【韻會】舉影切，音景。
>
> From the [Jiyun](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiyun) and [Yunhui](http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8F%A4%E4%BB%8A%E9%9F%BB%E6%9C%83%E8%88%89%E8%A6%81): Initial of 舉; final and tone of 影; and pronounced 景.
>
> [BTW, if you're wondering what is, [it's a variant of 並](http://dict.variants.moe.edu.tw/yitia/fra/fra00018.htm).]

The entry for 境 indicates that it has a 上 tone (since 影 and 景 both have 上 tones), as expected; however, it also indicates that the pronunciation of 竟 in its primary meaning has a 去 tone (since 慶 and 敬 both have 去 tones). Only when 竟 is used as a substitute for 境 is it pronounced with a 上 tone.

From this, we should expect that 竟 is pronounced *ging3* in Cantonese and *jing4* in Mandarin and that 境 is pronounced *ging2* in Cantonese and *jing3* in Mandarin; however, because 竟 can be used as a substitute for 境, perhaps their tones ended up getting mixed up, with Cantonese settling on *ging2* and Mandarin settling on *jing4* for both characters? This is purely speculation on my part, but I haven't found any other sources that explain this.


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