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天神 (tiān shén) — (mythology, religion) god, deity; (Buddhism) deva; a heavenly being still subject to rebirth

Definition

天神 refers to a god or deity in mythology — broader than 神 alone, emphasizing a heavenly or celestial being. In Buddhism it specifically means a deva, a blessed being who still cycles through rebirth.

noun
(mythology, religion) goddeity(Buddhism) devaa heavenly being still subject to rebirth
Measure word · 位

Examples

  • 天神。
    Gǔ dài zhōng guó rén rèn wéi tiān shén zhǎng guǎn zhe fēng yǔ léi diàn.
    Ancient Chinese believed that gods controlled wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.
  • 天神，。
    Fó jiào lǐ shuō tiān shén suī rán yǒu fú bào, dàn réng yǒu shēng sǐ lún huí.
    In Buddhism, it is said that although devas have blessings, they still undergo birth and death in reincarnation.
  • ，天神，。
    Zhè ge gù shi lǐ, fán rén jī bài le tiān shén, dǎ pò le shén bù kě zhàn shèng de shén huà.
    In this story, a mortal defeated the gods, shattering the myth that gods are invincible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

天tiānheaven
神shéngod

天 means heaven and 神 means god, so the word denotes a heavenly deity.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng天tiān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape comes from a frontal standing man 大 with a head; 天 pairs 大 with 丁 for sound.

Open 天 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →
Appears in
Mythology & FolkloreReligion & Belief

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