SKY    天空天

PLACE in SPACE CONTAINING the SUN, the MOON and the STARS.
HEAVENTHE SKYTHE SKIESTHE UPPER ATMOSPHERETHE STRATOSPHERESPACELITERARY THE FIRMAMENTTHE VAULT OF HEAVENTHE BLUETHE (WILD/WIDE) BLUE YONDERTHE WELKINTHE EMPYREANTHE AZURETHE UPPER REGIONSTHE SPHERETHE CELESTIAL SPHERE
Old Chinese Criteria
1. The current word for the sky, and for Heaven, is tiān 天 (ant. dì 地 "earth"). 2. Qián 乾 (ant. kūn 坤 "metaphysical: Earth") is a learned "metaphyisical" way of referring to Heaven. 3. Cāng 蒼 is a poetic word for blue sky, but the word is not apparently attested in pre-Buddhist texts.
Modern Chinese Criteria
天 天空 空 旻 宵 圓 圓象 天上 皇天 天宇 玉宇 空際 上蒼 蒼天 旻天 天幕 天穹 蒼穹 穹蒼 蒼昊 太清 太虛 大圜 碧落 (lit) refers to the sky in a periphrastic way. rough draft to BEGIN TO identify synonym group members for analysis, based on CL etc. 18.11.2003. CH ／
Part of
  • STARVISIBLE THING IN the NIGHT SKY LACKING CLOUDS.
Hypernym
  • PLACE　PART of SPACE that THINGS BE-IN:are-in. (anc: 4/0, child: 39)
  • PART　OBJECT which COMBINES with OTHER OBJECTS to BECOME ONE LARGER WHOLE OBJECT. (anc: 3/0, child: 8)
  • OBJECT　[NO HYPERNYM.] WHAT one CAN NAME:refer to. (anc: 2/0, child: 6)
  • A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages ( BUCK 1988) p. 1.51

  • De Rerum Humanarum Emendatione ( COMENIUS 1665) p. 484

    COELUM suprema mundanae machinae pars, et visibilis et invisibilis.

    Detailed axioms and discussion.

  • Woerterbuch der Philosophie. Neue Beitraege zu einer Kritik der Sprache ( MAUTHNER WP 1924) p. 92

  • Dictionnaire culturel en langue francaise ( REY 2005) p. 1.1547

  • Key Concepts in Chinese Philosophy ( ZHANG DAINIAN 2002) p. 3

  • Encyclopedia of Religion ( JONES 2005) p.

    • Words (20 items)

    天  tiān OC: lʰiin MC: then 37 Attributions

    The current word for the sky, and for Heaven, is tiān 天 (ant. dì 地 "earth").

      Word relations
    • Object: 仰/LOOK UP
    • Epithet: 高/HIGH The manifestly dominant general word is gāo 高(ant. bēi 卑 "low" and xià 下 "low") which refers to concrete as well as abstract elevation.
    • Oppos: 地/EARTH The current general term for the earth or land is dì 地 (ant. tiān 天"Heaven").

      Syntactic words
    • nadNN=placein the skyDS
    • nadVplacefrom the sky
    • nconcretethe (visible) sky (above), 天空
    虛空  xū kōng OC: qhla khooŋ MC: hi̯ɤ khuŋ 17 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPthe mid-air; empty space, sky as container of the various Heavens
    • NPadVfrom the empty sky
    乾  qián OC: ɡran MC: giɛn 7 Attributions

    Qián 乾 (ant. kūn 坤 "metaphysical: Earth") is a learned "metaphyisical" way of referring to Heaven.

      Syntactic words
    • nabmetaphysicalarchaic, metaphysical: Heaven (YI)
    • nprpersonifiedHeaven (as an agent overseeing what happens on earth)
    天上  tiān shàng OC: lʰiin ɡljaŋʔ MC: then dʑi̯ɐŋ 6 Attributions

      Syntactic words
    • NPthe sky
    上天  shang4 tiān MC: dzyangH then OC: ɡljaŋs lʰiin 3 Attributions

      Syntactic words
    • NPthe sky above ，彼蒼蒼之上天CH
    霽  jì OC: tsiils MC: tsei 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • nabclearing sky; clear sky
    天庭  tiān tíng OC: lʰiin deeŋ MC: then deŋ 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • NPthe sky
    上  shàng MC: dzyangH OC: ɡljaŋs 1 Attribution
      Syntactic words
    • n[adN]what is above> skyCH
    蒼  cāng OC: skhaaŋ MC: tshɑŋ 0 Attributions

    Cāng 蒼 is a poetic word for blue sky, but the word is not apparently attested in pre-Buddhist texts.

      Syntactic words
    • nsky
    虛  xū OC: qhla MC: hi̯ɤ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nsky 碧虛 "greenish-blue sky"
    梵天  fàn tiān OC: bloms lʰiin MC: bi̯ɐm then 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    諸天  zhū tiān OC: klja lʰiin MC: tɕi̯ɤ then 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    上  shàng MC: dzyangH OC: ɡljaŋs 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nskyCH
    宇  yǔ OC: ɢʷraʔ MC: ɦi̯o 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nspace above> sky
    宙  zhòu OC: rliwɡs MC: ɖɨu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • npost-Han NANQISHU: canopy of heaven embracing the whole world
    四天  sì tiān OC: plids lʰiin MC: si then 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    佛國  fó guó OC: bɯd kʷɯɯɡ MC: bi̯ut kək 0 Attributions

      Syntactic words
    皇  huáng OC: ɡʷaaŋ MC: ɦɑŋ
    太皇  tài huáng OC: thaads ɡʷaaŋ MC: thɑi ɦɑŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NPabmetaphysicaltài huáng: Heaven
    蒼昊  cāng hào OC: skhaaŋ ɡuuʔ MC: tshɑŋ ɦɑu 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • NP{v1&v2(.adN)}ZHANG QIAN (WENXUAN) the splendid blue sky
    穹  qióng OC: khʷɯŋ MC: khuŋ 0 Attributions
      Syntactic words
    • nsky