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神明 (shén míng) — god; deity; divinity

Definition

神明 refers to gods or deities collectively in Chinese religious and folk belief — a more literary, general term for divine beings than everyday 上帝 (the Christian God). Often used in phrases about worship, temples, or divine blessing.

noun
goddeitydivinity
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 神明。
    Rén men xiàng shén míng qí dǎo píng ān.
    People pray to the gods for peace.
  • 神明。
    Zhè zuò miào lǐ gòng fèng zhe hěn duō shén míng.
    This temple enshrines many deities.
  • 神明。
    Tā xiāng xìn shén míng huì bǎo yòu tā.
    He believes the gods will bless him.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

神shéndeity
明míngdivine spirit

神 and 明 both point to divine beings, together meaning a god or 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
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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

明 combines 日 (sun) and 月 (moon), showing the sun just rising while the moon has not yet set, or two bright objects in the sky, to express brightness.

Open 明 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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