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| This 天-bronze.svg image depicting the character 天 in the ancient bronze script. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Tian is one of the oldest Chinese terms for
the cosmos and a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophy, and religion. During the Shang Dynasty (17–11th centuries BCE), the Chinese called their supreme god Shangdi (上帝, "Lord on High") or Di ("Lord"); during the Zhou Dynasty,
Tian became synonymous with this figure. Heaven worship was, before the 20th century, an orthodox state religion of China.
In Taoism and Confucianism,
Tian is often translated as "Heaven"
and is mentioned in relationship to its complementary aspect of Dì (地), which is most often translated as "Earth".
These two aspects of Taoist cosmology
are representative of the dualistic
nature of Taoism. They are thought to maintain the two poles of the Three
Realms (三界) of reality, with the middle realm
occupied by Humanity (人, Ren).
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