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

Mandarin
(Pinyin): míngwáng

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄤˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ming⁴ wong⁴
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): bêng-ông

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: míngwáng
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄥˊ ㄨㄤˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: míngwáng
  - Wade–Giles: ming²-wang²
  - Yale: míng-wáng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mingwang
  - Palladius: минван (minvan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miŋ³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: ming⁴ wong⁴
  - Yale: mìhng wòhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ming⁴ wong⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: ming⁴ wong⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mɪŋ²¹ wɔːŋ²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bêng-ông
  - Tâi-lô: bîng-ông
  - Phofsit Daibuun: beng'oong
  - IPA (Xiamen): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² ɔŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻²² ɔŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /biɪŋ¹³⁻²² ɔŋ¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /biɪŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ ɔŋ²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /biɪŋ²³⁻³³ ɔŋ²³/

Noun

明王

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

Derived terms

不動明王 / 不动明王 (Bùdòng Míngwáng)
大輪明王 / 大轮明王 (Dàlún Míngwáng)
孔雀明王 (Kǒngquè Míngwáng)
愛染明王 / 爱染明王 (Àirǎn Míngwáng)
水草馬明王 / 水草马明王
馬明王 / 马明王

Related 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

Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “明王” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

Japanese

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 from 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)

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

Derived terms

五大明王(ごだいみょうおう) (godaimyōō, “Go Dai Myōō”): the Five Wisdom Kings

References

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