明王
Chinese
clear; bright; to understand clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty | king; Wang (proper name) | ||
---|---|---|---|
simp. and trad. (明王) | 明 | 王 |
Etymology
From Sanskrit विद्याराज (vidyārāja, “knowledge king”).
Pronunciation
Noun
明王
- (literary, honorific) enlightened sage (referring to the monarch)
Related terms
- 明妃
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (明王):
- → Japanese: 明王 (myōō)
- → Korean: 명왕(明王) (myeong'wang)
Japanese
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
明 | 王 |
みょう Grade: 2 | おう Grade: 1 |
on’yomi |
Etymology
Buddhist term, imported into Japanese when Buddhism was introduced to Japan, some time during the Kofun, Asuka, and Nara periods.
From Middle Chinese 明王 (*miæng *hiuɑng, literally “wisdom king”), itself a translation of Sanskrit विद्याराज (vidyārāja, “knowledge king”).[1]
Pronunciation
- On’yomi: Goon
- (Tokyo) みょーおー [myòóóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])[2]
- IPA(key): [mʲo̞ːo̞ː]
Noun
明王 • (myōō)
- (religion, Buddhism) a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism
- Also called a Guardian King.
- (religion, Buddhism) short for 五大明王 (Go Dai Myōō), the Five Wisdom Kings
- (religion, Buddhism) by extension, more specifically refers to 不動明王 (Fudō Myōō), the central figure of the Five Wisdom Kings
- (rare) a wise gentleman
Derived terms
- 五大明王 (ごだいみょうおう, Go Dai Myōō): the Five Wisdom Kings
References
- 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN