The Grishaverse
The Grishaverse

Shu is the language commonly spoken by the inhabitants of Shu Han.

Known phrases[]

Shu phrase English translation
yuyeh sesh lit. "despise your heart", but meaning "do what needs to be done—be cruel if you have to"[1]
ni we sesh I have no heart[1]
ye zho[2] you ass; scum[3]
Shi weh yenua Suli Suli is a dead language.[4]
Ju weh. Eh ye bat e’yuan.[5]
Taban yenok-yun the storm that stayed[6]

Known words[]

Shu word English translation Possible language inspiration
sheyao[7] shé yāo/蛇妖, "snake ghoul/monster" (Chinese)
parem without pity[8]
sesh-uyeh heartsick[9] xin1 sui4 心碎; "heartbreak" (Chinese)
sesh heart
ye you
yeh your
uyeh sick
we I wǒ/我 (Chinese)
ni not Romance languages
yu despise
yuyan language yŭyán/语言 (Chinese)
shi is shì/是 (Chinese)
si dead sǐ/死 (Chinese)
zho ass (Russian, Mongolian)
wen ye Coin of Passage[10]
yul son (the prefix in masculine Shu surnames; e.g. Kuwei Yul-Bo meaning Kuwei son of Bo) уул (Kyrgyz, Proto-Turkic)
kir daughter (the prefix in feminine Shu surnames; e.g. Mayu Kir-Kaat meaning Mayu daughter of Kaat) кыз, "girl" (Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Proto-Turkic)
nhaban rising phoenix[11]
neshyenyer relentless (a famous sword made by Sankta Neyar)[12]
keb/kebben twin; close kin; someone bound to one's heart[13]
Kebben’a My Dear; My Kin; My Only (a Shu poem; no direct translation into Ravkan)[13]
Tavgharad lit. "stone-fisted" (the elite guard of the Shu royal women)[14]

Influences[]

  • The Shu language is derived from Chinese Pinyin, Mongolian, Russian and several Central Asian languages such as Kazakh, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ruin and Rising, chapter 5
  2. Siege and Storm, chapter 2
  3. "Scum" Leigh Bardugo on a Q&A on Goodreads
  4. Shadow and Bone, chapter 9. In earlier editions of the book this phrase was written as: "Shi si yuyan Suli".
  5. Ruin and Rising, chapter 13
  6. Rule of Wolves, chapter 1
  7. Crooked Kingdom, chapter 32
  8. Six of Crows, chapter 42
  9. Six of Crows, chapter 8
  10. Six of Crows, chapter 20
  11. King of Scars, chapter 7
  12. The Lives of Saints, Sankt Kho and Sankta Neyar
  13. 13.0 13.1 King of Scars, chapter 23
  14. King of Scars, chapter 16