Owledge Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) Could someone please translate for me the words "heaven" and "earth" to Chinese? Preferrably several types of writing. And a version with the "and" in-between. Thank you! With "heaven" I mean that one which is usually meant in a Taoist context as the counterpart to earth. Edited August 6, 2012 by Owledge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harmonious Emptiness Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) Could someone please translate for me the words "heaven" and "earth" to Chinese? Preferrably several types of writing. And a version with the "and" in-between. Thank you! With "heaven" I mean that one which is usually meant in a Taoist context as the counterpart to earth. 天 is heaven, a picture of a man spreading his arms out, usually meaning big, and a line connoting what is above this man. 地 means earth, 土soil + 也 which means "also; classical final particle of strong affirmation or identity" (apparently a picture of a snake) So you almost get an "also" when they appear together as 天 地, but it doesn't mean "and" or "also".. it just points to the earth, as it does in 他 "he or him; (used for either sex when the sex is unknown or unimportant); (used before somebody's name for emphasis)" Excuse the long answer, just using the opportunity to study... Short answer is: 天地 天地之間, tiān dì zhī jiān, There is Heaven, and there is Earth, and thus there is the shining space in between them (Chapter 5, line 5, Dao De Jing) 間 = space between, pictured: sun between two doors Edited August 6, 2012 by Harmonious Emptiness Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baiqi Posted August 6, 2012 HE is right. You could also translate heaven and earth by "qian" 乾 and "kun"坤, which are the names of the trigrams related to heaven and earth. This is very common in litterature. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Owledge Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) @Harmonious Emptiness What does the zhī mean in tiān dì zhī jiān? @baiqi Why are the trigrams named differently? Aren't they referring to the same concepts? How can those letters be explained? Edited August 6, 2012 by Owledge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
寒月 Hanyue Posted August 6, 2012 HE is correct. There is also 靝 (tian: Heaven), which was used in sometimes in Daoism. It literally means something akin to 'blue sky' which, for those familiar with old Mongolian/Siberian beliefs should be familiar. Yes the names for the 'grams are; 坤 kun (Earth) 乾 qian (Heaven) Are they the same? And even so, why have only one name/term? Nothing in Daoism is written in stone, meanings change, so do words. Many terms cross over in meaning and yet are still different. If you think you've grasped or got a definition of H&E, then I advise you to reconsider. Understanding comes not from 'getting it' but in engaging with and 求 qiu searching. Lao zi. Best, 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Owledge Posted August 6, 2012 Thank you. You made me realize how poetic the language is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Owledge Posted August 11, 2012 OK, here's some fun with language, maybe you can help me with this, too. What's "fist on a stick" in Chinese? It's supposed to be a play of words related to various food "on a stick". Are "stick" and "staff" different words in Chinese? The translated title should, if possible, be ambiguous, hint at the food thing as well as a staff as used in martial arts, and, well, I guess there's a third meaning if you use your phantasy. Also, what would be the same with plural - "fists"? And is there a Chinese way of treating "fist" not strictly singular? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
