Tianzhu (India)

2021-11-01T14:38:05Z

47.31.193.159: /* See also */Improved reference

{{short description|Historical East Asian name of India}}
{{Chinese|c=天竺|p=tiānzhú|poj=Thian-tiok|j=Tin1-zuk1|wuu=Thi-tsoq|oc=*qʰl'iːn tuɡ|mc=tʰen ʈɨuk̚|oc-zz=&ast;qʰl'iːn tuɡ|kanji=天竺|romaji=tenjiku|hanja=天竺|hiragana=てんじく|hangul=천축|rr=cheonchuk}}
{{wiktionary|天竺}}
{{Historical Chinese exonyms}}
'''Tianzhu''' is the historical East Asian [[Names for India|name for India]]. Originally pronounced as '''l̥induk'''<ref>{{cite web|title=「身毒」的「身」字该怎样读？|url=https://www.zhihu.com/question/19565738|website=知乎|author=Arjuna}}</ref> or '''*qʰl'iːn tuɡ''' [[wikt:天竺|天竺]] in [[Old Chinese]], it comes from the Chinese transliteration of unattested Old Persian diminutive *Hinduka-, which is from attested ''[[Names of India#Hind / Hindustān|𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁 h-i-du-u-š]]'' ('''Hindu'''),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ccamc.co/cjkv.php?cjkv=%E7%AB%BA|title="竺"的基本信息|website=古今文字集成}}</ref> which is itself derived from the Proto-Indo-Iranian *síndʰuš, the etymon also of [[Sanskrit]] ''Sindhu'', the native name of the [[Indus River]]. Persians travelling in northwest India named the region after the river around the 6th century BC.{{sfn|Cheung|2014|p=181}} ''Tianzhu'' is just one of several Chinese transliterations of Sindhu. ''Yuāndú''<ref>{{cite web|title=词语"身毒"的解释|url=http://www.zdic.net/c/b/ef/245967.htm|website=汉典 zdic.net}}</ref> ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|[[wikt:身毒|身毒]]}} [[Old Chinese|OC]] ''n̥i[ŋ][d]ˤuk'') appears in [[Sima Qian]]'s ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'' and ''Tiandu'' ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|[[wikt:天篤|天篤]]}}) is used in the ''[[Book of the Later Han]]''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Cina and the Mediterranean World in Ancient Times|last=Taishan, Yu.|date=2014|publisher=Muzeul Brăilei Ed. Istros|isbn=9789732724262|pages=73|oclc=884445990}}</ref> ''Yintejia'' ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|[[wikt:印特伽|印特伽]]}}) comes from the Kuchean ''Indaka'', another transliteration of ''Hindu''.{{sfn|Cheung|2014|p=181}} A detailed account of Tianzhu is given in the "Xiyu Zhuan" (Record of the Western Regions) in the ''Hou Hanshu'' compiled by [[Fan Ye (historian)|Fan Ye]] (398–445):

{{Quote|"The state of Tianzhu: Also, named Yuandu, it lies several thousand li southeast of [[Yuezhi]]. Its customs are the same as those of Yuezhi, and it is low, damp, and very hot. It borders a large river. The inhabitants ride on elephants in warfare; they are weaker than the Yuezhi. They practise the way of Futu [the [[Buddha]]], [and therefore] it has become a custom [among them] not to kill or attack [others]. From west of the states Yuezhi and [[Gaofu]], and south until the Western Sea, and east until the state of [[Panqi]], all is the territory of Yuandu. Yuandu has several hundred separate towns, with a governor, and separate states which can be numbered in the tens, each with its own king. Although there are small differences among them, they all come under the general name of Yuandu, and at this time all are subject to Yuezhi. Yuezhi have killed their kings and established a general in order to rule over their people. The land produces elephants, rhinoceros, tortoise shell, gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin. It communicates to the west with [[Da Qin]] [the [[Roman Empire]]], and [so] has the exotica of Da Qin.<ref>{{Cite book|title=An anthology of Chinese discourse on translation|others=Cheung, Martha P. Y.|date = 3 June 2014|isbn=9781317639282|location=Manchester, U.K.|pages=77|oclc=881183919}}</ref>"|sign=|source=}}

Tianzhu was also referred to as ''Wutianzhu'' ({{lang|zh-Hant-TW|[[wikt:五天竺|五天竺]]}}, literally "Five Indias"), because there were five geographical regions in India known to the Chinese: Central, Eastern, Western, [[Northern India|Northern]], and [[Southern India]].{{sfn|Cheung|2014|p=179}}

In Japan, ''Tianzhu'' was pronounced as ''Tenjiku''. It is used in such works as the Japanese translation of ''[[Journey to the West]]''.

In Korea, ''Tianzhu'' was pronounced as ''Cheonchuk''. It is used in ''[[Wang ocheonchukguk jeon]]'' (An Account of Travel to the Five Indian Kingdoms), a travelogue by the 8th century Buddhist monk [[Hyecho]] from the Korean Kingdom of [[Silla]].

==See also==
* [[Names for India]]
* [[Indus Valley Civilisation]]
* [[Tianzhu (Chinese name of Godzilla)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Japanese historical terms]]
[[Category:Historical Chinese exonyms]]
[[Category:History of the foreign relations of Japan]]
[[Category:History of the foreign relations of China]]
[[Category:Names of places in Asia]]
[[Category:History of India]]
[[Category:Toponyms for India]]

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Tianzhu (India)