earth

en-noun

earth (countable and uncountable, plural earths)

From Middle English erthe, from Old English eorþe, from Proto-West Germanic *erþu, from Proto-Germanic *erþō (“dirt, ground, earth”) (compare West Frisian ierde, Low German Eerd, Dutch aarde, Dutch Low Saxon eerde, German Erde, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian jord), related to *erwô (“earth”) (compare Old High German ero, perhaps Old Norse jǫrfi), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁er- (compare Ancient Greek *ἔρα (*éra, “earth”) in ἔραζε (éraze, “to the ground, to earth”), perhaps Tocharian B yare (“gravel”).
Probably unrelated, but of unknown etymology, is Old Armenian երկիր (erkir, “earth”). Likewise, the phonologically similar Proto-Semitic *ʔarṣ́- – whence Arabic أَرْض (ʔarḍ), Hebrew אֶרֶץ (ʾereṣ) – is probably not related.

inh

earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust

(alchemy, philosophy and Taoism) The aforementioned soil- or rock-based material, considered one of the four or five classical elements.


upper

The 'upper' is one of nine apertures through which consciousness can leave the body at death (utkrantih).

2005, Shingo Einoo, Genesis and Development of Tantra, page 128:

When the Tao Te Ching says: “In thought, you can see the cavity,” it is referring to what the Triplex Unity describes as “When the upper is closed, we call it existence; when the lower is closed, we call it nothingness.”

It is said in Tibetan culture, in order to understand the upper, it is necessary to understand the lower first. Once, the lower is understood, the upper is just an introductory.

2010, Tenzin Dhakpa Agongtsang, Realistic Principles, Pittsburgh, PA: RoseDog Books, page 10:

(Taoism) A spiritual passageway through which consciousness can reach a higher dimension.


Heaven

What Heaven has conferred is called the Nature...

1893, James Legge, transl., The Doctrine of the Mean:

...‘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.

2000, Yao Xinzhong, An Introduction to Confucianism, page 142:

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)...

2018, Zhuo Xinping, Religious Faith of the Chinese, page 58:

(Chinese mythology, semantic translation of 天 (tiān)) The supreme God or Nature which controls the universe.


Taoist

en-adj

Taoist (comparative more Taoist, superlative most Taoist)

more Taoist (comparative)
most Taoist (superlative)

Taoist medicine follows the maxim of "first do no harm".


Taoism

The Chinese New Year holiday period, being disrupted this year by the outbreak of a viral illness, has evolved over more than 3,000 years to become the most important of China’s traditional festivals.
As celebrated in China and in many other places where its known as the Lunar New Year, it is largely a secular holiday, yet it includes rituals and traditions that derive from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as well as from ancient myths and folk religions.

2020 January 23, David Crary, “Chinese New Year secular now but kept religious underpinning”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2022-06-15:

A religion developed from Taoist philosophy and folk and Buddhist religion and concerned with obtaining long life and good fortune often by magical means.


joss stick

For instance, Hawkins, Lewis, Hankin and Sengupta all cover the word agarbatti, an incense stick or joss stick, but there is no way of knowing when this term was first used in Indian English, nor whether it is now current or obsolete.

2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes, page 300:

A stick of incense, especially (China Taoism, Buddhism, etc.) those burned as an offering before a Chinese shrine.


Santiago

/sæntiˈɑːɡəʊ/

Chinese Filipino
Guan Yu
James, brother of Jesus
Jose Rizal
Santiago
Santiago (disambiguation)

From Spanish Santiago, ellision of earlier Sant'Iago and Sant Iago, from Latin Sanctus Iācōbus (“Saint James or holy James”), the latter word deriving from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (ya‘ăqṓḇ, “Jacob”, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (‘āqḗḇ, “heel”) and the Biblical account of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Piecewise doublet of Saint James.
The Guan Yu sense among Chinese Filipinos in the Philippines is due to a syncretic association of the deified Chinese general with St. James, who are both known for their assertiveness and heroism, which non-Chinese and people in the Philippines like Jose Rizal during the 19th century first associated with and/or surmised the Chinese folk deities venerated by Chinese Filipinos on Chinese altars and prints with popular Christian or Muslim figures.

der

(Philippines, Chinese Filipino, Chinese folk religion, Taoism) Synonym of Guan Yu, a famous 2nd-century Chinese warrior subsequently worshipped as a god of war.

Chinese Filipino; Chinese folk religion; Taoism; Chinese Filipino; Chinese folk religion; Taoism


Sunyavadi

en-noun

Sunyavadi (plural Sunyavadis or Sunyavadi)

(colloquial, derogatory, Hindu, India, religious slur) A Buddhist, Taoist, or other impersonal worshipper.


Laozi

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the standard Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 老子 (“the Old One, the Venerable One”).

der

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

(Chinese history) An honorific title for the legendary Taoist philosopher Li Er, who supposedly lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC and (Chinese mythology) has subsequently been worshipped as a Taoist god.

لَاو تْسِي

influential Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism


Jade Emperor

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpəɹə/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpɹə/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpəɹɚ/

/ˈd͡ʒeɪd ˈɛmpɹɚ/

Calque of Chinese 玉皇 (Yùhuáng) or 玉帝 (Yù Dì, “Jade Emperor”).

(Chinese mythology) The lord of the Celestial Hierarchy, ruling over Heaven, Earth, and Hell.


Temple of Heaven

Calque of Chinese 天壇 /天坛 (Tiāntán, literally “Altar of Heaven”).

calque

Jonah Byrde: Y'know, in third grade, we learned about the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. There are like 600 acres and on the grounds there's this building called the Hall for Prayer for Good Harvests. It's circled by this thing called the Echo Wall.
Wendy Byrde: Ok, ok.
Jonah Byrde: You can go there and even when people are whispering you just hear the same things repeated over and over and over.
Wendy Byrde: Ok, enough. You wanna be a smartass? You want to hate me? Fine.

2022 January 21, Chris Mundy, Ozark, 00:41:05

A religious complex in southeastern Beijing, formerly important to Chinese imperial rituals; the present-day park surrounding and preserving the site.


Tao Te Ching

/ˌtaʊ ˌteɪ ˈt͡ʃɪŋ/

From the Wade–Giles romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 道德經 /道德经 (Dàodéjīng, “Classic of the Dao and De”).

bor

(philosophy, Taoism) A Chinese classic text fundamental to both philosophical and religious Taoism.


Xuanwu

From the pinyin romanization of Mandarin Chinese 玄武 (Xuánwǔ, literally “Dark Warrior”).


Fuxi

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the modern Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 伏羲 (Fúxī), variously understood and treated as a solar god, protoplast, culture hero, legendary emperor, and protohistorical tribal chief or as an imperial or prehistoric dynasty (氏, shì) in China before the Xia. The two characters may be phonetic but have the meaning "concealed from", "submitting to", or "prostrate before" 羲 (xī), a character that also appears in the name of the early solar goddess 羲和 (“Xīhé”), q.v.

The Chineſe ſay that Fo-hi, the Founder of their Monarchy, fix’d his Court in this Province; and began his Reign about the Year 2952, according to ſome Authors, whoſe Opinion if true confirms the Chronology of the Septuagint.

[1738, J. B. Du Halde, “PROVINCE VII. HO-NAN.”, in A Description of the Empire of China and Chinese-Tartary, Together with the Kingdoms of Korea, and Tibet, volume I, London, page 102:

(Chinese mythology) A legendary ancient Chinese ruler and culture hero, typically the brother of Nüwa.


neigong

From Mandarin 內功／内功 (nèigōng, “internal exercises”).

Any of the variety of Chinese breathing, meditation and spiritual disciplines associated with Taoism and martial arts.


Tian

The pinyin romanization of Mandarin 天 (Tiān).

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...

2003, Constance Victoria Briggs, The Encyclopedia of God, s.v. "Tian"::

(Chinese mythology) Synonym of Heaven: simultaneously conceived as the Heavens, Nature, and an anthropomorphic supreme God.


Tien

(Chinese mythology) Alternative form of Tian: Heaven, simultaneously conceived as the Heavens, Nature, and an anthropomorphic supreme God.


libationer

Harming other people or bullying them because the libationer is in a position of power or has connexions with people in power is also proscribed (60, 92).

1995, Taoist Resources - Volume 6, Issue 2, page 13:

Its primary office, that of the "libationer" (chi-chiu), was open to women and men alike, though scholars today have begun to question whether that office was actually clerical or simply a term for lay leaders.

2004, Russell Kirkland, Taoism: The Enduring Tradition, page 135:

At that time, accession to the office of libationer already involved the conferral of sacred texts.

2013, Fabrizio Pregadio, The Encyclopedia of Taoism: 2-volume set, page 550:

A Taoist religious office analogous to that of parish priest.


wuxing

Borrowed from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 五行 (wǔxíng).

the five fundamental elements or phases of processes in traditional East Asian cosmology, consisting of fire, water, wood, metal, and earth


Taoist dual cultivation

(Taoism) The process of cultivation involving sexual intercourse between a man and a woman.


daoshi

en-noun

daoshi (countable and uncountable, plural daoshis)

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 道士 (dàoshì, “Taoist scholar, scholar of the Way”).

der

(Taoism) A person committed to Taoism, a Taoist priest, monk, etc.


wu wei

These alternatives seem tepid, or even reactionary – take Franco ‘Bifo’ Berardi’s invocation of a politics of exhaustion that would ‘become the beginning of a slow movement toward a “wu wei” civilization, based on withdrawal, and frugal expectations for life and consumption’.

2013, Benjamin Noys, quoting Franco Berardi, Malign Velocities: Accelerationism and Capitalism, Zero Books, →ISBN:

A state of effortless inaction, in Taoism or Chinese statecraft.


Daozang

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 道藏 (dàozàng, literally “Repository of the Way”).

bor

Similar Daozang 道藏 (Repositories of the Tao) had been compiled by earlier Chinese dynasties, always under the authority of the Son of Heaven himself.[…]Today, only the above-mentioned Ming Daozang has survived.[…]The Ming Daozang remains the last.[…]Although the philosophical texts of Laozi 老子, Zhuangzi 莊子, and others, together with their numerous commentaries, figure prominently in the Daozang, they do not amount to more than some 200 titles.

2005 August 1, Franciscus Verellen, Kristofer Schipper, The Taoist Canon: A Historical Companion to the Daozang, University of Chicago Press, →ISBN, pages 1—2:

While I have indicated the ways in which different Daoist scriptures were emphasized in different Daoist movements, no discussion of Daoist texts would be complete without the Daozang (Tao-tsang, Daoist Canon), the primary textual collection of the Daoist tradition from the late medieval period forward.[…]Such collections received the designation of Daozang, which literally means “storehouse of the Dao” (see Komjathy 2002; Schipper and Verellen 2004).[…]The received, Ming-dynasty Daozang in total consists of 1,487 texts (see Schipper and Verellen 2004; also Komjathy 2002).

2012 June 20, Louis Komjathy, The Daoist Tradition: An Introduction, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 237:

The vast literature of the Daoist canon, or Daozang, survives in a Ming Dynasty edition of some 1,500 different texts. Compiled under imperial auspices and completed in 1445 – with a supplement added in 1607 – many of the books in the Daozang concern the history, organization, and liturgies of China's indigenous religion. A large number of the works deal with medicine, alchemy, and divination.

2012 November 2, ASU News, “Rare Daoist canon comes to ASU Libraries”, in ASU News, archived from the original on 2024-08-17:

(Taoism) An extensive canon of Taoist writings, consisting of around 1,500 texts covering various topics.


Sun Wukong

Borrowed from the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 孫悟空 /孙悟空 (Sūn Wùkōng, literally “Sun Awakened-to-Emptiness”).

(Chinese mythology) A fictional anthropomorphic monkey with various abilities and magical powers best known for being one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese epic Journey to the West, and is revered as a deity by some Buddhists and most Taoists.