| Change log entry 91724 | |
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| Processed by: | richwarm (2025-09-08 04:45:39 UTC) |
| Comment: |
<< review queue entry 83860 - submitted by 'dalao233' >> This is the result of a...long deep-dive through Chinese Text Project during some constrained writing I was conducting. I found that on Pleco, only ABC Dictionary had a definition for this term, which was not sufficient, only saying "the goddess of the earth". The term is specifically laid out here: 《朱子語類》徽宗時分祭，祀后土皇地谀，漢時謂之『媼神』。漢武明皇以南郊祭天為未足，遂祭於泰山；以北郊祭地為未足，遂祭於汾陰，立一后土廟。真宗亦皆即泰山汾陰而祭焉。」先生曰：「分祭是。」 During Huizong’s time (Song dynasty), they performed sacrifices worshipping Houtu, the Earth Goddess, who in the Han dynasty was known as “媼神 Aoshen”. Emperor Wu of Han and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, feeling that sacrificing to Heaven in the south was insufficient, did so at Mt. Tai; they felt that this was also insufficient, so they did so at Fenyin, where the Houtu Temple was established. Emperor Zhenzong also sacrificed at Mt. Tai and Fenyin.” Which can be found at: https://ctext.org/text.pl?node=597310&searchu=%E5%AA%BC%E7%A5%9E&searchmode=showall&if=en#result I am hoping that this entry can spare someone several hours in the future. ------------------------ Editor: We are focused mainly on contemporary Mandarin, so it's really a bit outside our scope to define 媼神 -- at least, at the level you deem "sufficient". A couple of quotes for 后土: 不論是中國或其他民族的初民都有「大地之母」的觀念，因為大地生養萬物以養人。因此在農耕或是築屋，甚或挖礦、建路等會翻動土地的行為中，都會戒慎的敬拜一番。人們崇拜后土、土地公、土地伯公等土地神，也是認為大地不是冰冷的泥土、石塊而已；她是一個會生養、會疼痛的生命體。 多年來陳玉峰穿梭在台灣高山調查發現，在大地不停抬升下，台灣自然資源也因應擾動不安的后土而生，曾為台灣賺進無數外匯的檜木林與諸多針葉樹，就拜地變頻繁之賜而蒼鬱茂密。 |
| Diff: |
# 媼神 媪神 [[ao3shen2]] /Han dynasty name for 后土 Houtu, Daoist goddess of the Earth./ # Editor: 媼神 媪神 [[Ao3shen2]] /(archaic) Earth Deity (name used in the Han dynasty, but later largely superseded by 后土[Hou4tu3])/ 后土 后土 [[Hou4tu3]] /Earth Deity (often paired with 皇天[Huang2tian1], August Heaven)/ 皇天 皇天 [[Huang2tian1]] /August Heaven; Heaven as supreme deity (often paired with 后土[Hou4tu3], the Earth Deity)/ |