tian
/tjˈɑn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.03 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An oval cooking-pot, traditionally used in Provence.
noun
A Provençal dish of layered baked vegetables.
name
A surname.
name
Synonym of Heaven: simultaneously conceived as the Heavens, Nature, and an anthropomorphic supreme God.
Example Sentences
- "...‘Heaven’ as we use it throughout the book is only a convenient but inaccurate translation of the Chinese character tian. Heaven in Chinese religions as well as in the Confucian tradition has multidimensional implications... In its metaphysical and physical connotation, Heaven... refers to... Nature. Applied in the spiritual realm, it signifies an anthropomorphic Lord or a Supreme Being who presides in Heaven, and rules over or governs directly the spiritual and material worlds."
- "Supreme being in Chinese philosophy and religion. He rules over lesser gods, humankind, and controls the cosmos. The word Tian may also refer to Heaven. As a god, Tian is often seen as an impersonal power..."
- "It was not just the sky, but a god with wills and intentions, seen as sovereign of all... In fact, "Tian" was another reverent term to address the supreme god: "Heaven, for the help of the inferior people, made for them rulers, and made for them instructors" ("Great Declaration I" in the Book of History)..."
Etymology
From French, from Provençal tian, from Old Occitan, from Ancient Greek τήγανον (tḗganon), variant of τάγηνον (tágēnon, “frying pan”).
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: -, tian, τήγανον
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Food.