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真主 (Zhēn zhǔ) — Allah (the Islamic God, as referred to in Chinese)

Definition

The standard Chinese term for Allah — the God of Islam in Islamic context (prayer, blessings, faith). It is a religious title, not a name used in other religions.

noun
Allah (the Islamic God, as referred to in Chinese)

Examples

  • 真主。
    Mù sī lín měi tiān dōu yào xiàng Zhēn zhǔ qí dǎo.
    Muslims pray to Allah every day.
  • 真主。
    Tā men xiāng xìn Zhēn zhǔ shì wéi yī de shén.
    They believe Allah is the only god.
  • 真主。
    Zhēn zhǔ Bǎo yòu nǐ píng ān.
    May Allah bless you with peace.

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.

真zhēntrue
主zhǔlord

真 names true and 主 names lord, together giving the one true Lord.

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
貝貝bèicowrie; shell
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂈
𠂈𠂈真zhēn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

Open 真 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The old forms that became 主 showed a lamp or torch with a flame at the top; other forms showed wood on fire or a spirit tablet.

Open 主 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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