烏龍

See also: 乌龙

Chinese

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wūlóng

  (Zhuyin): ㄨ ㄌㄨㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): wu¹ lung^4-2
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): o͘-liông

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ou¹ lêng⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wūlóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄨ ㄌㄨㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wulóng
    • Wade–Giles: wu¹-lung²
    • Yale: wū-lúng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ulong
    • Palladius: улун (ulun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u⁵⁵ lʊŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: wu¹ lung^4-2
    • Yale: wū lúng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wu¹ lung^4-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: wu¹ lung^4-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wuː⁵⁵ lʊŋ²¹⁻³⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: o͘-liông
    • Tâi-lô: oo-liông
    • Phofsit Daibuun: olioong
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ɔ⁴⁴⁻²² liɔŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɔ³³ liɔŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɔ⁴⁴⁻²² liɔŋ¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ liɔŋ²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɔ⁴⁴⁻³³ liɔŋ²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ou¹ lêng⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ou lêng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ou³³⁻²³ leŋ⁵⁵/

Etymology 1

		black	dragon
trad. (烏龍)		烏	龍
simp. (乌龙)		乌	龙

"unexpected mistake; muddled"

Originally Cantonese. Probably from the 1940s manga 《烏龍王》 by Chinese cartoonist Louie Yu Tin, whose eponymous protagonist was a muddle-headed character.

Common folk etymologies attribute the word to English wrong, or own (as in own goal).

Noun

烏龍

1. (literally) black dragon
2. (figurative, literary) dogs in general
3. (figurative, literary, obsolete) horse
4. (figurative, colloquial) unexpected mistake; mishap
5. (～茶) oolong (tea)
6. (Taiwanese Hokkien) black cricket

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 蟋蟀 (“cricket (insect)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		蟋蟀, 促織, 蜻蛚, 蝍蛆, 蛩, 吟蛩, 秋蛩, 懶婦
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		蟋蟀
Taxonomic name		蟋蟀
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	蛐蛐兒
	Taiwan	蟋蟀
	Ulanhot	蛐蛐
	Tongliao	蛐蛐
	Chifeng	蛐蛐兒
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	蛐蛐
	Harbin	蛐蛐兒
	Shenyang	蛐蛐兒
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	蛐蛐兒
	Jinan	蛐兒蛐兒
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	蛐蛐子
	Qingdao	土蚱兒
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	蛐蛐
	Wanrong	臭吱吱
	Zhengzhou	促促兒
	Xi'an	蛐蛐兒
	Xining	秋蟬兒, 蛐蛐
	Xuzhou	蛐兒蛐兒
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	黑油麥蚱, 蛐蛐
	Bayanhot	蟋蟀
	Lanzhou	蛐蛐, 錯翅子
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	叫雞子, 叫雞雞, 蛐蛐兒
	Wuhan	蛐蛐
	Guiyang	蛐蛐
	Kunming	蛐蛐兒
	Yangshuo	灶雞
	Liuzhou	蛐蛐
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	蛐蛐
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	蛐織
	Yangzhou	蛐蛐子
	Nantong	蛐蛐
	Hefei	蛐蛐, 蛐蛐子
Cantonese	Guangzhou	織蟀, 蟀, 蟀子
	Hong Kong	蟋蟀, 織蟀
	Macau	蟋蟀
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	蟀
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	蟀
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	蟀
	Foshan	織蟀
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	蟀蟀
	Foshan (Shunde)	蟀
	Foshan (Sanshui)	蟀
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	織蟀
	Zhongshan (Huancheng)	織蟀
	Zhongshan (Nanlang)	織蟀
	Zhongshan (Xiaolan)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Dongsheng, Xiaolan)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Tanbei, Xiaolan)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Henglan)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Dongfeng)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Nantou)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Fusha)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Shalang)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Gangkou)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Huangpu)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Sanjiao)	織促
	Zhongshan (Langwang, Minzhong)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Minzhong)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Guzhen)	蟋蟀
	Zhongshan (Banfu)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhongshan (Tanzhou)	蟀, 蟀蟀
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	足雞
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	蟋蟀
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	蟋蟀
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	酒蟀
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	蟋蟀
	Taishan	蟋蟀
	Kaiping (Chikan)	蟋蟀
	Enping (Niujiang)	蟋蟀
	Heshan (Yayao)	蟋蟀
	Dongguan	子蟀
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	蟋蟀
	Shaoguan	織蟀
	Yunfu	促蟀
	Yangjiang	促蟀
	Xinyi	促織
	Lianjiang	織蟀
	Mandalay (Taishan)	蟋蟀
Gan	Nanchang	蛐蛐
	Lichuan	蟋蟀
	Pingxiang	蟋蟀, 蟋蟀仔
Hakka	Meixian	蟋蟀仔
	Xingning	土唧哩
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	蛛蟀
	Huidong (Daling)	草唧
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	草織
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	草織
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	蟋蟀
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	草雞子
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	草唧
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	草蟀
	Changting	草唧
	Wuping	草唧子
	Wuping (Pingyu)	草唧子
	Liancheng	草唧
	Ninghua	草虻
	Yudu	蟋蟀子
	Ruijin	山灶雞
	Shicheng	山灶雞子
	Shangyou (Shexi)	蟋蟀
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	土狗仔, 草唧仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	土狗仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	土狗仔, 草唧仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	土狗, 草唧
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	土狗仔, 草唧仔
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	土狗
Huizhou	Jixi	織織
Jin	Taiyuan	蛐蛐
	Xinzhou	黑色兒
	Taibus (Baochang)	蟋蟀
	Linhe	秋翅兒
	Jining	秋鈴兒
	Hohhot	蛐蛐
	Baotou	秋鈴兒
	Dongsheng	秋蟬兒
	Haibowan	蟋蟀
Northern Min	Jian'ou	蟋蟀
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	蟋蟀
	Fuqing	壁蟀
	Gutian	蟣立
Southern Min	Xiamen	蟋蟀
	Zhangzhou	記蟀
	Taipei	杜猴, 蟋蟀
	Taipei (Wanhua)	蟋蟀仔
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	杜猴
	Kaohsiung	杜伯仔, 杜猴
	Yilan	杜猴
	Changhua (Lukang)	杜猴, 蟋蟀, 烏龍
	Taichung	杜猴, 蟋蟀仔
	Taichung (Wuqi)	灶雞仔
	Tainan	杜伯仔, 蟋蟀, 蟋蟀仔
	Taitung	烏龍仔
	Hsinchu	杜猴
	Kinmen	杜猴, 蟋蟀
	Penghu (Magong)	杜猴, 烏龍, 赤蜣, 蟋蟀
	Penang (Hokkien)	cengkerik
	Chaozhou	蟋蟀
	Shantou	蟋蟀
Puxian Min	Putian	蝍蛛
	Xianyou	蝍蛛
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	蟋蟀
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	勝勝, 土狗
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	灶織子
Wu	Shanghai	蹔𧉆
	Shanghai (Chongming)	蹔𧉆
	Suzhou	蹔𧉆
	Danyang	治治
	Hangzhou	蛐蛐兒
	Ningbo	蹔𧉆, 丁獅子
	Wenzhou	蟋蟀
	Jinhua	蟋蟀兒
Xiang	Changsha	蛐蛐
	Xiangtan	蟋蟋
	Loudi	蟋蟀子
	Shuangfeng	蟋蟀
	Hengyang	灶雞子

Derived terms

• 擺烏龍 / 摆乌龙 (bǎiwūlóng)
• 烏龍茶 / 乌龙茶 (wūlóngchá)

Adjective

烏龍

1. (chiefly Cantonese) muddled; absent-minded; silly

Derived terms

• 烏龍波 / 乌龙波
• 烏龍球 / 乌龙球 (wūlóngqiú)

Proper noun

烏龍

1. (～鄉) Wulong (a township in Wuxi, Chongqing, China)
2. Name of a loyal dog owned by Jin-dynasty Zhang Ran.

Etymology 2

		phonetic
trad. (烏龍)		烏	龍
simp. (乌龙)		乌	龙

Borrowed from Japanese 饂飩(うどん) (udon), in turn from Chinese 餛飩 (“wonton”).

Noun

烏龍

1. (～麵) (chiefly Taiwan) udon (noodle)

Synonyms

• 烏冬／乌冬 (wūdōng)

Derived terms

• 烏龍麵 / 乌龙面 (wūlóngmiàn)