Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mandate of heaven

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.87 in modern English

Syllables: man-date of heav-en
IPA

27

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The philosophical construct that is the basis of the authority of the Son of Heaven.

noun

Any such mandate or blessing.

noun

The Chinese philosophical concept of the circumstances under which a ruler is allowed to rule. Good rulers would be allowed to rule with the Mandate of Heaven, and despotic, unjust rulers would have the Mandate revoked by disasters or revolution.

noun

The preeminence of an incumbent or institution other than that of the rulers of China.

Humorous

Etymology

Calque of Literary Chinese 天命 (tiānmìng).

Usage

Humorous

Inflected Forms

the Mandate of Heaven (canonical) Mandates of Heaven (plural)

Phrases

Son of Heaven Celestial Empire divine right

Frequently Paired Words

Son of Heaven Celestial Empire divine right

Questions

What does mandate of heaven mean?: The philosophical construct that is the basis of the authority of the Son of Heaven.
Where does mandate of heaven come from?: Calque of Literary Chinese 天命 (tiānmìng).

How to pronounce mandate of heaven

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