Etymology
The name is the pinyin romanization of two Chinese characters. The first – 上 – means "on" or "above"; the second – 帝 – is the same character used in the name of Huangdi, the Yellow Emperor, and the title huangdi, emperor of China. The name is thus often translated "Celestial Emperor", although the deity likely preceded the title and the emperors of China were named after him in their role as Tianzi, the sons of Heaven.
Read more about this topic: Shangdi
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
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“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
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