Shen (Chinese folk religion)

File:Great Generals of the Desert and the Spirits of Grasses and Trees Who Dwell in the Void of Water and Land.jpg

Ming dynasty Shuilu ritual painting of military and nature spirits.

Template:Chinese folk religion Template:Tlit () is a Chinese word with senses of deities, divinities, or spirits. The Japanese equivalent is kami, as in Shintoism. This single Chinese term expresses a range of similar, yet differing, meanings.

The first meaning is a generic word for deities which are intimately involved in the affairs of the world, or spirits, such as dead ancestors. Spirits generate entities like rivers, mountains, thunder, and stars.

A second meaning of Template:Tlit refers to the human spirit or psyche that is seen in the body as luster or vigor and in the mind as vitality and enthusiasm; it is the basic power or agency within humans that accounts for life, and in order to further life to its fullest potential, the spirit (Shen) is transformed to actualize potential (Template:Zhi).

A third understanding of Template:Tlit describes an entity as supernatural in the sense of inspiring awe or wonder because it combines categories usually kept separate, or it cannot be comprehended through normal concepts.

In the traditional Chinese theory of sanbao, Template:Tlit is associated with the Template:Tlit side of yin and yang and Jing is yin in comparison (Heaven and Earth; Earth tied to Template:Tlit in particular in traditional Chinese medicine). Heaven is the origin of the spiritual aspect of humanity and provides ongoing spiritual influences, and therefore, it is associated with the heart, while Earth is the origin of the physical aspect of humankind/nature and is traditionally related to our kidneys or lower Template:Tlit. The ongoing harmonious interaction of Heaven and Earth creates Template:Tlit in this case human and therefore is associated with the spleen, stomach and liver in the middle Jiao, which is essential to create balance and harmony of yin and yang, therefore maintaining a good standard of health and creating life.

It is said in the classics that the human is the best creation of Heaven and Earth. In traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist, Buddhist, and Chinese folk religious tradition, the balance of Template:Tlit and Template:Tlit is important to provide external harmony and internal health within life, thereby preventing injury, illness, or harm to body, mind, spirit, or the environment.Template:R/superscript

Pronunciation

Template:Tlit (in rising 2nd tone) is the Modern Standard Chinese pronunciation of "god, deity; spirit, spiritual, supernatural; awareness, consciousness etc". Reconstructions of Template:Tlit in Middle Chinese (ca. 6th-10th centuries CE) include Template:Tlit (Bernhard Karlgren, substituting j for his "yod medial"), Template:Tlit (Zhou Fagao), Template:Tlit (Edwin G. Pulleyblank, "Late Middle"), and Template:Tlit (William H. Baxter). Reconstructions of Template:Tlit in Old Chinese (ca. 6th-3rd centuries BCE) include Template:Tlit (Karlgren), Template:Tlit (Zhou), Template:Tlit (Li Fanggui), Template:Tlit (Baxter), and Template:Tlit (Axel Schuessler).

Although the etymological origin of Template:Tlit is uncertain, Schuessler notes a possible Sino-Tibetan etymology; compare Chepang Template:Tlit "spirit of humans".Template:R/superscript

The Chinese Template:Zhp is also present in other East Asian languages. The Japanese Kanji is pronounced Template:Tlit () or Template:Tlit () in On'yomi (Chinese reading), and Template:Tlit (), Template:Tlit (), or Template:Tlit () in Kun'yomi (Japanese reading). The Korean Hanja is pronounced Template:Tlit ().

The Template:Tlit dictionary notes that had a special pronunciation Template:Tlit (level 1st tone, instead of usual 2nd rising tone Template:Tlit) in the name Shen Shu , one of two "gods of the Eastern Sea", along with Yu Lu .

In the Vietnamese language, it is pronounced as .Template:Explain

File:Canonization scroll of Li Zhong jadeemperor.jpg

Ming dynasty painting of the canonization of Li Zhong as part of the Heavenly Pantheon under the Jade Emperor.

Semantics

Template:Tlit's polysemous meanings developed diachronically over three millennia. The Template:Tlit, an authoritative historical dictionary, distinguishes one meaning for Template:Tlit ("a deity ()) and eleven meanings for Template:Tlit translated below:

1. Celestial god(s)/spirit(s) of stories/legends, namely, the creator of the myriad things in heaven and earth and the supreme being. ()
2. Spirit; mind, mental faculties; consciousness. Like: concentrated attention; tire the mind; concentrate one's energy and attention. ()
3. Expression, demeanor; consciousness, state of mind. ()
4. Portrait, portraiture. ()
5. Magical, supernatural, miraculous; mysterious, abstruse. Like: ability to divine the unknown, amazing foresight; highly skilled doctor; genius, masterpiece. ()
6. Esteem, respect; valuable, precious. ()
7. Rule, govern, administer. ()
8. Cautious, careful, circumspect. ()
9. Display, arrange, exhibit. ()
10. Dialect. 1. Dignity, distinction. () 2. Entrancement, ecstasy. () 3. Clever, intelligent. ()
11. Surname, family name. ()

This dictionary entry for Template:Tlit lists early usage examples, and many of these 11 meanings were well attested prior to the Han dynasty. Chinese classic texts use Template:Tlit in meanings 1 "deity", 2 "spirit, mind; attention", 3 "expression; state of mind", 5 "supernatural", and meaning 6 "esteem". The earliest examples of meaning 4 "portrait" are in Song dynasty texts. Meanings 7-9 first occur in early Chinese dictionaries; the Erya defines Template:Tlit in meanings 7 "govern" and 8 "cautious" (and 6, which is attested elsewhere), and the Guangya defines meaning 9 "display". Meaning 10 gives three usages in Chinese dialects (technically "topolects", see Fangyan). Meaning 11 "a surname" is exemplified in Shennong ("Divine Farmer"), the culture hero and inventor of agriculture in Chinese mythology.

The Chinese language has many compounds of Template:Tlit. For instance, it is compounded with Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, with Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, and Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp. Several Template:Tlit "spirit; god" compounds use names for other supernatural beings, for example, Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp, and Template:Zhp in Template:Zhp. The earliest discovered character form for shen suggests two components. The right side of the character gives the basic meaning and pronunciation, as well as providing a graphic representation of flashing lightning from the clouds. This visual displays ancient people’s belief that lightning was the manifestation of god.1 The left side displays a modified character shi which pertains to ritual ceremonies, worship, or prayer. This concept originally referred to stone table used for offering ceremonial sacrifices to the gods.

Wing-Tsit Chan distinguishes four philosophical meanings of this Template:Tlit: "spiritual beings", "ancestors", "gods and demons", and "positive and negative spiritual forces".

In ancient times, Template:Tlit usually refers to heavenly beings while Template:Tlit refers to spirits of deceased human beings. In later-day sacrifices, Template:Tlit together refers to ancestors. In popular religions, Template:Tlit means gods (who are good) and demons (who are not always good). In Neo-Confucianism, Template:Tlit may refer to all these three categories but more often than not, the term refers to the activity of the material force (Template:Tlit). Chang Tsai's dictum, "The negative spirit (Template:Tlit) and positive spirit (Template:Tlit) are the spontaneous activity of the two material forces (yin and yang)," has become the generally accepted definition.Template:R/superscript

The primary meaning of Template:Tlit is translatable in English as god, gods, God; deity, deities, spirit, spiritual, spiritlike, spirits, Spirit, spiritual beings; celestial spirits; ancestral spirits, supernatural beings, etc. Template:Tlit is sometimes loosely translated as "soul", but Chinese hun and po distinguishes Template:Zhp and Template:Zhp. Template:Tlit can be used as a loanword. The Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.) defines Template:Tlit in these terms, "In Chinese philosophy: a god, person of supernatural power, or the spirit of a dead person." Template:Tlit can also refer to a living, "'spiritual' or 'spiritlike'" person or people when they accomplish things perceived to be superhuman, such as saving "people through the power of Virtue."

In acupuncture, Template:Tlit is a pure spiritual energy devoid of memory and personality traits, whereas Template:Tlit is the spiritual energy associated with the personality and Template:Tlit the energy tied to the sustenance of the physical body. In this system, Template:Tlit resides in the heart and departs first at death, Template:Tlit resides in the liver and departs second, and Template:Tlit resides in the lungs and departs last.Template:R/superscriptTemplate:R/superscript

Template:Tlit plays a central role in Christian translational disputes over Chinese terms for God. Among the early Chinese "god" names, Template:Zhp or Template:Tlit was the Shang term, Template:Zhp was the Zhou term, and Template:Tlit was a later usage (see Feng Yu-Lan.Template:R/superscript Modern terms for "God" include Template:Tlit, Template:Zhp, Template:Zhp (esp. Catholics), and Template:Zhp (esp. Protestants).

Graphics

The character for Template:Tlit exemplifies the most common class in Chinese character classification: Template:Zhp, which combine a radical (or classifier) that roughly indicates meaning and a phonetic that roughly indicates pronunciation. In this case, combines the "altar/worship radical" or and a phonetic of Template:Zhp. Compare this phonetic element differentiated with the "person radical" in Template:Zhp, the "silk radical" in Template:Zhp, the "mouth radical" in Template:Zhp, the "stone radical" in Template:Zhp, the "earth radical" in Template:Zhp, and the "big radical" in Template:Zhp. (See the List of Kangxi radicals.)

Chinese Template:Zhp was an ancient phonetic loan character for Template:Zhp. The Mawangdui Silk Texts include two copies of the Dao De Jing and the "A Text" writes Template:Tlit interchangeably as and : "If one oversees all under heaven in accord with the Way, demons have no spirit. It is not that the demons have no spirit, but that their spirits do not harm people." (chap. 60).Template:R/superscript The Template:Tlit defines Template:Zhp as Template:Zhp and says that in the 7th lunar month when Template:Tlit forces increase, bodies Template:Zhp.

The earliest written forms of Template:Zhp occur in Zhou dynasty bronzeware script and Qin dynasty seal script characters (compare the variants shown on the "Chinese etymology" link below). Although has not been identified in Shang dynasty oracle bone script records, the phonetic Template:Zhp has. Paleographers interpret the Oracle script of as a pictograph of a "lightning bolt". This was graphically differentiated between Template:Zhp with the "cloud radical" and Template:Zhp with the "worship radical", semantically suggesting both "lightning" and "spirits" coming down from the heavens.

See also

• Chinese ancestral worship
• Chinese folk religion
• Chinese gods and immortals
• Chinese theology
• Chinese spiritual world concepts
• Jade Emperor
• Kami in Shinto religion
• Religion in China
• Shangdi
• Tian & Di
• Wufang Shangdi

Further reading

• Dharmananda, Subhuti. 2005. "Towards a spirit at peace: understanding the treatment of shen disorders with Chinese medicine", Institute for Traditional Medicine and Preventive Health Care, Portland, Oregon.
• Li Leyi. 1993. "Tracing The Roots of Chinese Characters: 500 Cases", Beijing Language and Culture University Press.
• Mateer, C.W. 1901–2. "The meaning of the word shen," Chinese Recorder 3.2:61–72, 107–16, 3.3:71–79, 123–32.

External links

• Seal and Bronze Characters, Chinese Etymology
• What Is Shen (Spirit)?, Subhuti Dharmananda