神君 (shén jūn) — (historical) laudatory title for a virtuous official; deity, divine being

Definition

An archaic, honorific literary term — either a respectful title for a virtuous official (e.g., 神君) or, in folk religion, a deity that governs a specific domain such as weather.

noun
(historical) laudatory title for a virtuous officialdeitydivine being

Examples

  • 神君。
    Zhè wèi guān yuán bèi bǎi xìng zūn chēng wèi shén jūn.
    This official was respectfully called 'divine lord' by the people.
  • 神君。
    Gǔ shū zhōng jì zǎi le xǔ duō shén jūn de gù shi.
    Many stories of deities are recorded in ancient books.
  • ，神君。
    Mín jiān xìn yǎng zhōng, zhè wèi shén jūn zhǎng guǎn fēng yǔ.
    In folk belief, this deity controls wind and rain.

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.

神shéndivine
君jūnlord

“神” (divine) + “君” (lord) names a deity or honored official.

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
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 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
尹
尹yǐn君jūn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

君 combines 尹 and 口. Early forms were often interchangeable with 尹, and 口 may show commands or simply be decorative.

Open 君 →

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