天下

Chinese

		day; sky; heaven	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter
simp. and trad. (天下)		天	下
Literally: “under heaven”.

Etymology

See All under Heaven.

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 天下

1. (literary, figurative) the world; everything under the sky; all under heaven

   • 天下莫大於秋豪之末，而大山為小；莫壽於殤子，而彭祖為夭。天地與我並存，而萬物與我為一。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     天下莫大于秋豪之末，而大山为小；莫寿于殇子，而彭祖为夭。天地与我并存，而万物与我为一。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 369 B.C.E. – 286 B.C.E. (deprecated template usage) 莊子 (Zhuangzi), (deprecated template usage) 齊物論 (The Identity of Contraries)

     Tiānxià mò dàyú qiūháo zhī mò, ér dàshān wéi xiǎo; mò shòuyú shāngzǐ, ér Péngzǔ wéi yāo. Tiāndì yǔ wǒ bìngcún, ér wànwù yǔ wǒ wèi yī. [Pinyin]

     There is nothing under the canopy of heaven greater than the tip of an autumn spikelet. A vast mountain is a small thing. Neither is there any age greater than that of a child cut off in infancy. P'êng Tsu himself died young. The universe and I came into being together; and I, and everything therein, are One.

   • 奴才替天下百姓感激皇太后恩典！ [MSC, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Firmament of the Pleiades

     Núcái tì tiānxià bǎixìng gǎnjī huángtàihòu ēndiǎn! [Pinyin]

     I, on behalf of the people throughout the world, [hereby] express my gratitude for the kindness of the empress dowager!

2. (literary, lofty) China; the Chinese nation
3. (literary, figurative) state power; domination

Synonyms

• (the world):

(deprecated template usage)

• 世 (shì) (literary, or in compounds)
• 世界 (shìjiè)
• 區宇／区宇 (qūyǔ) (literary, figurative)
• 四國／四国 (sìguó) (literary)
• 四海 (sìhǎi) (literary, figurative)
• 域中 (yùzhōng) (literary)
• 天跤下 (Hokkien, figurative)
• 宇內／宇内 (yǔnèi) (literary, figurative)
• 薄海 (bóhǎi) (literary, figurative)

 

• (China):

(deprecated template usage)

• 中 (abbreviation)
• 中原 (Zhōngyuán)
• 中國／中国 (Zhōngguó)
• 中華／中华 (Zhōnghuá)
• 九州 (Jiǔzhōu)
• 唐山 (Tángshān)
• 域中 (yùzhōng) (literary, figurative)
• 天朝 (Tiāncháo) (historical or Internet slang)
• 支那 (Zhīnà) (obsolete, now usually derogatory or offensive)
• 桃花石 (Táohuāshí) (obsolete)
• 猜拿 (Cāiná) (transliteration of English China)
• 神州 (Shénzhōu) (literary)
• 種花家／种花家 (Zhònghuājiā) (slang, humorous)
• 脂那 (Zhīnà) (obsolete)
• 至那 (Zhìnà) (obsolete)
• 華／华 (abbreviation)
• 華夏／华夏 (Huáxià)
• 諸夏／诸夏 (Zhūxià)
• 諸華／诸华 (Zhūhuá)
• 赤縣／赤县 (Chìxiàn) (literary)
• 赤縣神州／赤县神州 (Chìxiàn Shénzhōu) (literary)
• 震旦 (Zhèndàn) (archaic)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (天下):

• → Japanese: 天(てん)下(か) (tenka)
• → Korean: 천하(天下) (cheonha)
• → Vietnamese: thiên hạ (天下)

→ Manchu: ᠠᠪᡴᠠᡳ
ᡶᡝᠵᡝᡵᡤᡳ (abkai fejergi) (calque)

→ Russian: Поднебе́сная (Podnebésnaja) (calque)

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
天	下
てん Grade: 1	か Grade: 1
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 天下 (MC then haeX, “heaven + under”). The kan'on, so likely a later borrowing.

Noun

天(てん)下(か) • (tenka) 

1. the whole world, the earth
2. the whole country, all of Japan
3. the government of Japan
4. power, control over the government
5. (historical, Edo period) the shogun
6. (card games) in traditional Japanese card games, one of the strong cards known as 蠣 (aza)
7. short for 天下一 (tenka ichi): the best in the world (often used attributively with the particle の (no))

   天(てん)下(か)の横(よこ)綱(づな)

   tenka no yokozuna

   the best yokozuna in the world

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
天	下
てん Grade: 1	げ Grade: 1
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 天下 (MC then haeX, “heaven + under”). The go'on, so likely the earlier borrowing.

Appears with this reading in the Kagerō Nikki, dating to roughly 974 CE. Superseded in modern Japanese by tenka above.

Noun

天(てん)下(げ) • (tenge) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) the world, the earth

Related terms

• 天上

See also

• 地上
• 天(あま)下(くだ)る (amakudaru)

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Korean

Hanja in this term
天	下

Noun

天下 • (cheonha) (hangeul 천하)

1. Hanja form^? of 천하 (“world, earth; China”).

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
天	下

Noun

天下

1. chữ Hán form of thiên hạ (“world”).