古名 Pre-modern usage

Classical texts (Shuōwén Jiězì, Běncǎo Gāngmù)

Metals and minerals known long before modern chemistry kept their old names: the Five Metals 金 銀 銅 鐵 錫 (五金), plus 鉛, 汞, 硫, 硼 and 炭.

Forms attested here (14)

• 燐 Phosphorus P lín today 磷 lín “ghost fire”, with the fire radical, in the Shuōwén Jiězì replaced
• 硫磺 Sulphur S liúhuáng today 硫 liú brimstone replaced
• 鐵 Iron Fe tiě today 铁 tiě survives
• 黑金 Iron Fe hēijīn today 铁 tiě “black metal” in the Shuōwén Jiězì replaced
• 赤金 Copper Cu chìjīn today 铜 tóng “red metal” replaced
• 銅 Copper Cu tóng today 铜 tóng survives
• 倭鉛 Zinc Zn wōqiān today 锌 xīn “Japanese lead” replaced
• 白金 Silver Ag báijīn today 银 yín “white metal” in the Shuōwén Jiězì replaced
• 銀 Silver Ag yín today 银 yín survives
• 錫 Tin Sn xī today 锡 xī one of the Five Metals; phonetic 易 reflects an old pronunciation survives
• 金 Gold Au jīn today 金 jīn survives
• 水銀 Mercury Hg shuǐyín today 汞 gǒng “water silver”; the Shíyào Ěryǎ (806) lists twenty-one alchemical aliases replaced
• 汞 Mercury Hg gǒng today 汞 gǒng survives
• 鉛 Lead Pb qiān today 铅 qiān survives