bˈuːdɐvˌɑːɹmənz fˈɪfθ sˈɛntʃɚɹi tʃaɪnˈiːz tɹænslˈeɪʃən ʌvðɪ ɐbhˈɪdhɑːɹməvˈiːˈaɪbˈiːˈeɪtʃˌeɪmˈækɹˌɑːnlˌɛɾɚwˈʌnˈiːsˈɪksθɹˈiːˌeɪmˈækɹˌɑːnsˈæstɹə sˌiːˈeɪtʃ. ɐpˈɪdəmˌoʊ pɪpˈoʊʃə lˈʌn kwˈɛstʃənz wˈɛðɚ hˈɛl wˈɔːɹdənz hˌuː tˈɔːɹtʃɚ hˈɛl bˈiːɪŋz ɑːɹ ðɛmsˈɛlvz sˈɛnʃənt bˈiːɪŋz, wˌʌt fˈɔːɹm ðeɪ tˈeɪk, ænd wʌt lˈæŋɡwɪdʒ ðeɪ spˈiːk.
Buddhavarman's fifth century Chinese translation of the Abhidharma-vibhāṣā-śāstra (Ch. āpídámó pípóshā lùn ) questions whether hell wardens who torture hell beings are themselves sentient beings, what form they take, and what language they speak.