Chinese_names_for_the_God_of_Abrahamic_religions
In the Chinese common religion and philosophical schools the idea of the universal God has been expressed in a variety of names and representations, most notably as 天 (Tiān, "Heaven") and 上帝 (Shàngdì, "Highest Deity" or "Highest Emperor").
This article is missing information about the Chinese name of Jesus and Chinese terms for Judaism. (August 2022) |
These two and other concepts have been variously combined, in diverse contexts, to form titles such as:
- Huáng Tiān Shàngdì (皇天上帝; Huáng, "Emperor" + Tiān + Shàngdì)[1] or Xuán Tiān Shàngdì (玄天上帝; Xuán, "Deep" + Tiān + Shàngdì)[2]
- Shàngtiān (Shàng + Tiān, "Highest Heaven")[3]
- Tiāntáng (Tiān + Táng, "Vault of Heaven").[4]
The compounds tiānshén (tiān + shén, meaning "heavenly god")[5] and tiānxiān (tiān + xiān, meaning "heavenly immortal")[6] have been used for a deity, in a polytheistic sense. The word Dì by itself has likewise been used for God.[7]
When Abrahamic religions penetrated China, they appropriated some of the traditional titles, or created new compound titles, to express their theology.