Tian

Tian

See also: tian

English

Alternative forms

• Tien, T'ien

Etymology 1

The pinyin romanization of Mandarin 田 (Tiān).

Proper noun

Tian (plural Tians)

1. A surname​.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Tian is the 9195^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 3547 individuals. Tian is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (96.02%) individuals.

Etymology 2

The pinyin romanization of Mandarin 天 (Tiān).

Proper noun

Tian

1. (Chinese mythology) Synonym of Heaven: simultaneously conceived as the Heavens, Nature, and an anthropomorphic supreme God.
   • 2000, Yao Xinzhong, An Introduction to Confucianism, p. 142:

     ...‘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.

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

     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...

   • 2018, Zhuo Xinping, Religious Faith of the Chinese, p. 58:

     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)...

Anagrams

• NAIT, TINA, Tani, Tina, ain't, aniṭ, anti, anti-, nait, tain, tina