<p>in the book "嶺表録異" by 劉恂 of 唐 dynasty (618-907)</p>

<p>水母</p>

<p>廣州謂之水母﹒閩謂之蛇[疑駕切]﹒其形乃渾然凝結一物﹒有淡紫色者﹒有白色者﹒大如覆帽﹒小者如盌﹒腹下有物如懸絮﹒俗謂之足而無口眼﹒常有數十蝦寄腹下﹒咂食其涎﹒浮汎水上﹒捕者或遇之﹒即歘然而沒﹒乃是蝦有所見耳</p>

<p>which gives a clear description of jellyfish.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Teosz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Teosz.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T05:25:46.623Z
I will respond when I can appropriately, I actually think I feel like starting from the beginning, so I probably will
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T05:48:44.983Z
托福刚才我刚才实现杏仁奶(茶）有好多高热量
其实，实因为上次我盗。
还　有　我想起来原来的意义就是问你“Is that Southern Min script?"
皿
还　有　我想起来下实应该量
文后觉得道
叮
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T06:53:09.753Z
I thought that Kabutops isn't Kansas...haha
S
佧步高S reminds me of my self, of those friends and of 水母.
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T07:00:12.837Z
haha ..man, I Just want to read the Script.  I only now read a  part of the text included with your post..it sounds like Guangdong does not like jellyfish???
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T07:33:10.233Z
no lah, it should interpret as "southern natives" liked to eat jellyfish, that the text included receipt about how to cook it :)
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T04:01:32.183Z
2017-08-09T04:01:32.183Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>Wow it's a fascinating question. I have never thought about that before and this question intrigues me. Because it's a two characters word, meaning that it definitely has an origin, not like the word 猪 for example, which just reassembles the image of a pig.</p>

<p>After searching a while and came across many different sources and non-senses, you might actually be right. The earliest usage, that I can find, of the word 水母 means the goddess of water. First used in 先秦, which is the period from 221BC to the possible known beginning of China. </p>

<p>However the first record of using this word, again that I can find, appeared in Verses of Chu 楚辞, which is a collection of poets of a greater period of time. The word came from 王襃．九懷．思忠, written as：「玄武步兮水母，與吾期兮南榮。登華蓋兮乘陽，聊逍遙兮播光。」The author 王襃 was living at the time around 6 century AD (possibly 513 - 576). The word 水母 in this poet means the same, the goddess of water.</p>

<p>A more recent variation of the goddess, is called 水母娘娘, or the Old Mother of Water</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>According to Chinese folklore, she is responsible for submerging
  Sizhou/泗州 (an ancient Chinese city located in today’s
  Jiangsu/江苏 Province) under the waters of lake Hongze Lake/洪泽湖 in 1574
  A.D. and is currently sealed at the foot of a mountain in Xuyi/盱眙
  District.[1]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So my best guess is when people saw this amazing creature in the sea, they would see it as an avatar of the goddess of water, and thus call it 水母.</p>

<p>We also call it 海蜇 nowadays, but this word feels more like "beef", while 水母 feels like "cow" or "bull". Both names are quite common to use.</p>

<p>Also, in 本草纲目, it's called 海䖳.</p>

<p>I have never seen this word being used as Medusa.</p>

<h2>Notes</h2>

<ol>
<li>Werner, Edward Theodore Chalmers (1922). Myths and Legends of China (PDF). Courier Corporation. pp. 166–168.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T02:08:04.583Z
how could 海蜇 sounds "beef", whilst 水母 sounds like "cow" or "bull"?
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T02:15:42.743Z
bkrs：海蜇 Rhopilema esculenta, an **edible** jellyfish，on the other hand 蜇 means sting (noun,verb)
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T05:13:06.853Z
I see thinks a little bit differently now
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T05:51:54.493Z
This is how you remind me.
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T06:56:45.423Z
I will make it a reality that I can cite such Classics.  I thank you real.
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-09T07:04:14.897Z
I feel sure that I also was knowing at a point prior.  I Just want to let that be known.
Abe Shudug
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-10T00:05:43.737Z
@dan yeah i shouldn't have used the word "sound", it's more "feels"
An Chin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-11T11:43:58.063Z
Maybe it's because the shape of Jellyfish reminds people of the ribbons on the clothes of female gods  :)
Harry Summer
CC BY-SA 4.0
2017-08-09T00:54:49.770Z
2019-02-23T00:53:59.633Z
2019-02-23T00:53:59.633Z
An Chin
<p>I, among others, do not understand why this word would be chosen for jellyfish.  Is a jellyfish held in regard as some sort of cultural/spiritual analogue ?  </p>

<p>A mother tries to be everywhere at once like all the tentacles of a jellyfish?</p>

<p>I have also seen that this word means Medusa, but Medusa can also be 美杜莎.</p>

<p>Which is more common?</p>

<word-choice><loanwords>
The origin of 水母
# The origin of 水母

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-08)

I, among others, do not understand why this word would be chosen for jellyfish. Is a jellyfish held in regard as some sort of cultural/spiritual analogue ?

A mother tries to be everywhere at once like all the tentacles of a jellyfish?

I have also seen that this word means Medusa, but Medusa can also be 美杜莎.

Which is more common?

**Tags:** word-choice, loanwords


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-08-09. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Wow it's a fascinating question. I have never thought about that before and this question intrigues me. Because it's a two characters word, meaning that it definitely has an origin, not like the word 猪 for example, which just reassembles the image of a pig.

After searching a while and came across many different sources and non-senses, you might actually be right. The earliest usage, that I can find, of the word 水母 means the goddess of water. First used in 先秦, which is the period from 221BC to the possible known beginning of China.

However the first record of using this word, again that I can find, appeared in Verses of Chu 楚辞, which is a collection of poets of a greater period of time. The word came from 王襃．九懷．思忠, written as：「玄武步兮水母，與吾期兮南榮。登華蓋兮乘陽，聊逍遙兮播光。」The author 王襃 was living at the time around 6 century AD (possibly 513 - 576). The word 水母 in this poet means the same, the goddess of water.

A more recent variation of the goddess, is called 水母娘娘, or the Old Mother of Water

> According to Chinese folklore, she is responsible for submerging
> Sizhou/泗州 (an ancient Chinese city located in today’s
> Jiangsu/江苏 Province) under the waters of lake Hongze Lake/洪泽湖 in 1574
> A.D. and is currently sealed at the foot of a mountain in Xuyi/盱眙
> District.[1]

So my best guess is when people saw this amazing creature in the sea, they would see it as an avatar of the goddess of water, and thus call it 水母.

We also call it 海蜇 nowadays, but this word feels more like "beef", while 水母 feels like "cow" or "bull". Both names are quite common to use.

Also, in 本草纲目, it's called 海䖳.

I have never seen this word being used as Medusa.

## Notes

1. Werner, Edward Theodore Chalmers (1922). Myths and Legends of China (PDF). Courier Corporation. pp. 166–168.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: how could 海蜇 sounds "beef", whilst 水母 sounds like "cow" or "bull"?  
> **username_4**: bkrs：海蜇 Rhopilema esculenta, an **edible** jellyfish，on the other hand 蜇 means sting (noun,verb)  
> **username_0**: I see thinks a little bit differently now  
> **username_0**: This is how you remind me.  
> **username_0**: I will make it a reality that I can cite such Classics.  I thank you real.  
> **username_0**: I feel sure that I also was knowing at a point prior.  I Just want to let that be known.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 yeah i shouldn't have used the word "sound", it's more "feels"  
> **username_5**: Maybe it's because the shape of Jellyfish reminds people of the ribbons on the clothes of female gods  :)  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-08-09. Score: 2

in the book "嶺表録異" by 劉恂 of 唐 dynasty (618-907)

水母

廣州謂之水母﹒閩謂之蛇[疑駕切]﹒其形乃渾然凝結一物﹒有淡紫色者﹒有白色者﹒大如覆帽﹒小者如盌﹒腹下有物如懸絮﹒俗謂之足而無口眼﹒常有數十蝦寄腹下﹒咂食其涎﹒浮汎水上﹒捕者或遇之﹒即歘然而沒﹒乃是蝦有所見耳

which gives a clear description of jellyfish.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Teosz.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/Teosz.png)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I will respond when I can appropriately, I actually think I feel like starting from the beginning, so I probably will  
> **username_0**: 托福刚才我刚才实现杏仁奶(茶）有好多高热量 其实，实因为上次我盗。 还　有　我想起来原来的意义就是问你“Is that Southern Min script?" 皿 还　有　我想起来下实应该量 文后觉得道 叮  
> **username_0**: I thought that Kabutops isn't Kansas...haha S 佧步高S reminds me of my self, of those friends and of 水母.  
> **username_0**: haha ..man, I Just want to read the Script.  I only now read a  part of the text included with your post..it sounds like Guangdong does not like jellyfish???  
> **username_1**: no lah, it should interpret as "southern natives" liked to eat jellyfish, that the text included receipt about how to cook it :)  

---

