明王

Chinese
 
clear; bright; to understand
clear; bright; to understand; next; the Ming dynasty
 king; Wang (proper name)
simp. and trad.
(明王)		 明 王

Etymology

From a calque of Sanskrit विद्याराज (vidyārāja, “knowledge king”).

Pronunciation

Noun

明王

  1. (literary, honorific) enlightened sage (referring to the monarch)
  2. (Buddhism) a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism

Derived terms
  • 明妃

Descendants
Sino-Xenic (明王):
  • → Japanese: 明王(みょうおう) (myōō)
  • → Korean: 명왕(明王) (myeong'wang)

Further reading

Japanese
明王 (myōō): a statue of a Wisdom King, specifically Fudō Myōō.
Kanji in this term
明 王
みょう
Grade: 2		 おう
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Etymology

Buddhist term, imported into Japanese when Buddhism was introduced to Japan, some time during the Kofun, Asuka, and Nara periods.

From Middle Chinese 明王 (*miæng *hiuɑng, literally “wisdom king”), itself a calque of Sanskrit विद्याराज (vidyārāja, “knowledge king”).[1]

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) みょーお​ー [myòóóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])[2]
  • IPA(key): [mʲo̞ːo̞ː]

Noun

明(みょう)王(おう) • (myōō) 

  1. (religion, Buddhism) a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism
    Also called a Guardian King.
  2. (religion, Buddhism) short for 五大明王 (​Go Dai Myōō), the Five Wisdom Kings
  3. (religion, Buddhism) by extension, more specifically refers to 不動明王 (​Fudō Myōō), the central figure of the Five Wisdom Kings
  4. (rare) a wise gentleman

Derived terms
  • 五大明王 (ごだいみょうおう, ​Go Dai Myōō): the Five Wisdom Kings

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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