四天王

Chinese

		four	the son of heaven; emperor
simp. and trad. (四天王)		四	天王

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sìtiānwáng

  (Zhuyin): ㄙˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄤˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sei³ tin¹ wong⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): si-thiên-vòng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sìtiānwáng
    • Zhuyin: ㄙˋ ㄊㄧㄢ ㄨㄤˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìhtianwáng
    • Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴-tʻien¹-wang²
    • Yale: sz̀-tyān-wáng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syhtianwang
    • Palladius: сытяньван (sytjanʹvan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ wɑŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sei³ tin¹ wong⁴
    • Yale: sei tīn wòhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sei³ tin¹ wong⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: séi³ tin¹ wong⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sei̯³³ tʰiːn⁵⁵ wɔːŋ²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: si-thiên-vòng
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi tien´ vongˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi⁴ tian¹ vong²
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁵⁵ tʰi̯en²⁴ voŋ¹¹/

Noun

四天王

1. (Buddhism) Synonym of 四大天王 (sìdàtiānwáng, “the four heavenly kings”)
2. (chiefly ACG, by extension) the four most superior individuals within a group or field

Japanese

Kanji in this term
四	天	王
し Grade: 1	てん Grade: 1	おう > のう Grade: 1
on’yomi	goon

Etymology

Ultimately a calque of Sanskrit चतुर्महाराज (caturmahārāja, literally “four great kings”).

Equivalent to 四 (shi, “four”) +‎ 天王 (tennō, “heavenly king”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) してんの​ー [shìtéńnóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [4])
• IPA^(key): [ɕitẽ̞nːo̞ː]

Noun

四(し)天(てん)王(のう) • (shitennō) ^{←してんわう (siten'wau)?}

1. (Buddhism) the four gods believed to be watching over the four cardinal directions:
   1. 持国天 (Jikokuten, “Dhṛtarāṣṭra”), east
   2. 増長天 (Zōjōten, “Virūḍhaka”), south
   3. 広目天 (Kōmokuten, “Virūpākṣa”), west
   4. 多聞天 (Tamonten, “Vaiśravaṇa”), north

   Synonyms: 四大天王 (shi daitennō), 四天 (shiten)

2. (by extension) the four most superior individuals within a group or field

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 四(し)天(てん)王(のう)合(ごう)行(ぎょう)法(ほう) (Shitennō gōgyōhō)
• 四(し)天(てん)王(のう)樹(じゅ) (shitennōju)
• 四(し)天(てん)王(のう)天(てん) (shitennōten)
• 四(し)天(てん)王(のう)物(もの) (Shitennōmono)
• 県(けん)門(もん)の四(し)天(てん)王(のう) (kenmon no shitennō)
• 護(ご)世(せ)四(し)天(てん)王(のう) (gose shitennō)
• 金(こん)光(こう)明(みょう)四(し)天(てん)王(のう)護(ご)国(こく)之(の)寺(てら) (Konkōmyō Shitennō Gokoku no Tera)
• 最(さい)勝(しょう)四(し)天(てん)王(のう)院(いん) (Saishō Shitennō-in)
• 和(わ)歌(か)四(し)天(てん)王(のう) (waka shitennō)

Related terms

• 御三家(ごさんけ) (gosanke, “a famous trio”)