Shangdi

Shangdi redirects here, but it is also a place name in Beijing, see also Shangdi, Beijing

Shang Di or Shang Ti (Wade-Giles) (上帝, pinyin Shàngdì), literally translated, "Above Sovereign", "Above ", or "Lord On High", in Chinese culture, is the name used both in traditional Chinese religion as well as in Chinese Christianity for the Supreme Deity.

First mention

ShangDi is first mentioned in the 五經 WuJing Five Classics compiled by Confucius in the 6th century BC. The WuJing was a collection of five books that represented the pinnacle of Chinese culture at that time. The oldest parts of the Five Classics were first written around 1000 BC, apparantly relying on older texts. All of the five classics include references to ShangDi:

Occurances of 上帝 ShangDi in 五經 WuJing

char	pinyin	English	occurance
書經	ShuJing	Book of History	32 times
詩經	ShiJing	Book of Poetry	24 times
禮記	LiJi	Book of Rites	20 times
春秋	ChunQiu	Spring Autumn Annals	08 times
易經	YiJing	Book of Changes	02 times

This is just a sampling; alternate translations and compilations will yield slightly different numbers. The total for the WuJing collection alone totals over 85 references.

Other classics mention ShangDi as well (a formalized analysis showing the development of the term over time would be useful). Another "Classic" collection, the 四書 SiShu, Four Books, mentions ShangDi also, but it is a later compilation and the references are much more sparse and abstract. The highest amount of occurances appear to be in the earliest references; and this may reflect the cultural development (or rejection) towards ShangDi as a whole over time.

One of the five books in the WuJing is the 書經 ShuJing, Book Classic (more commonly known as the Book of History, or 尚書 ShangShu, Esteemed Book). The Shu Jing is possibly the earliest narrative of China, and may predate the European historian Herodotus (about 440 BC) as a history by many centuries. This implies that ShangDi is the oldest deity directly referenced in China by any Chinese narrative literature. The ShuJing itself is also divided into 5 parts, and those parts were actually considered books as well. However, the number of books or "documents" is a division that varies largely on the version or compilation; thus quoted references may not match unless you use the same compilation.

The 2nd of the 5 "books" inside the ShuJing is called the 虞書 YuShu, "Book of Yu" (Yu, in this title, is a location, not the popular hero 禹 Yu). This "book" has 4 "chapters"; and the 1st "chapter" is called the 舜典 ShunDian, "Canon of Shun". Shun was the predecessor to the heroic 大禹 DaYu, or Great Yu, the first Xia emperor known for stopping a terrible flood prior to his reign. About the third sentence is the first mention of ShangDi. Thus, if the source actually represents the times, it is possible that a belief in ShangDi predates the Xia dynasty.

Meaning & Use of Name

Shang Di, 上帝, is the Supreme God in the original religious system of the Han Chinese people, a term used from the second millennium BC to the present day, as pronounced according the modern Mandarin dialect. Literally the term means "Above Emperor", which is taken to mean "Lord On High", "Highest Lord", or "Celestial Lord". Its meaning is similar to the term dyeus used by Indo-European peoples, but apparantly without the linguistic connection. Another title of ShangDi is simply "Di". ShangDi is chiefly associated with Heaven. From the earliest times of Chinese history, and especially from the Zhou Dynasty onwards, another name, Tian, is also used to refer to the Supreme God of the Chinese people. Tian is a word with multiple meanings in the ancient Chinese language, it could either mean the physical sky or the presiding God of Heaven. When Tian is used in the latter sense, it has the same meaning as ShangDi. By the time of the Han dynasty, the influential Confucian scholar Zheng Xuan declared that "ShangDi is another name for Tian".

Attributes

Uniquely, Chinese traditions do not appear to have a narrative for ShangDi in the earliest texts; nor are there physical representations of him. However, the many references to ShangDi do assign attributes to his character, including: maleness, emotion, compassion, intellect, judgement, mastery, and greatness. A few examples follow below; please note quoted references vary (usually by verse number) due to the variety of compilations:

• The 書經 ShuJing, the earliest of Chinese narratives (described above), represents ShangDi is a good god who punishes evil and rewards goodness. "ShangDi is not invariant, for He judges a person according to his actions. On the good-doer He sends down blessings, and on the evil-doer He sends down miseries." (see ShuJing 4:4:4; aka ShuJing, Documents of Shang, Instructions of Yi, 4th verse)

• The 詩經 ShiJing, the earliest of Chinese poetries, attributes speech to him in poem 241. Other significant portrayals include poems 245, 236, 300; as well as poems 192, 224, 235, 254, 255, 258, 274, 276, & 304.

• As well as the official sacrificial rituals, the Chinese people can also pray to ShangDi. This fact is recorded in the WuJing described above. (for example, see LiJi 04:1:13; aka LiJi Book 4, Section 1, verse 13)

These portrayals appear to predate Daoist or Buddhist interperatations anywhere between 500 to 2000 years.

Creator

ShangDi is believed to be the Creator of the universe, predating the later Daoist creation of Pangu around 200 AD by at least 500 years, as shown:

• -0470 BC -0390 BC Mohist philosopher 墨子 MoZi, in the philosophical text 'MoZi', explicitly mentions ShangDi 26 times; as shown in 2:12, 4:16, 5:15, 6:25ab, 7:26ab, 27, 28ab, 8:31, 32, 9, 35ab, 36, 37, 12:47.

He also describes ShangDi as a benevolent creator.

• +0079 AD +0166 AD Han Dynasty scholar 馬融 MaRong, in one of his works , claimed ShangDi (or more precisely 上帝太一神 Shang Di Tai Yi Shen) is the personification of Tai Yi or Taiji (the Supreme Ultimate), which is the Ultimate Origin and Ground of Being for all existence. (note: this is probably a later Daoist interperatation, rather than an original representation).

• +0127 AD +0200 AD East Han Dynasty Confucian scholar 鄭玄 Zheng Xuan, in one of his works , said: "ShangDi is the parent of all peoples" in his annotations of the Shang Shu, 凡人皆天之子 (Everyone is a child of Heaven).

• Ceremonial Texts of the Annual Sacrificial Rituals to ShangDi depict him as a creator:

In the beginning there was confusion and chaos. The five elements had not yet began to transform, nor did the sun and the moon began to shine. In the midst of this there existed neither forms nor sound. Then the Spiritual Sovereign came forth, and began to separate the purer from the grosser parts.

He created the heavens, He created earth, He created man. All things with reproductive powers received their being. The beginning of all things was the result of His Kind Act. All things received His Great Love. All of the myriad things are found lacking compared with His Great Virtue.

Who knows of all the blessings that He has sent to us? Only 皇天上帝 Huangtian Shangdi is the True Ancestor of the myriad things.

Worship

From the earliest eras of Chinese history, ShangDi was officially worshipped through sacrificial rituals. ShangDi is believed to rule over natural and ancestral spirits, who act as His ministers. ShangDi is thought to be the Supreme Guide of both the natural order and the human order. The ruler of China in every Chinese dynasty would perform annual sacrificial rituals to ShangDi at the great Temple of Heaven in the imperial capital. During the ritual a completely healthy bull would be slaughtered and presented as an animal sacrifice to ShangDi. The current Temple of Heaven in Beijing was first constructed during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), in the year 1420 AD. It is a magnificent architectural complex that is four times larger (nearly three million square kilometers) than the Forbidden Palace, the imperial residence of Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors. The central prayer hall in this complex, called the "Prayer Hall For Good Harvests", is of wooden construction built on top of three tiers of marble platforms. It is important to note that ShangDi is never represented with either images or idols. Inside the "Prayer Hall For Good Harvests", there is only a "spirit tablet" with the official title of ShangDi written on it - 皇天上帝 HuangTian ShangDi, literally meaning "Supreme Sovereign God of Heaven". [1]

Chinese Christianity

Shang Di is also one of the main names used by Chinese Christians for the Christian God. It is first used in the southern China edition of the Chinese Union Version, a Mandarin Chinese translation of the Christian Bible. 19th century British Protestant missionaries in China, such as James Legge, used the name Shang Di to refer to the Christian God, while American Protestant missionaries in northern China in the early 20th century preferred the alternative "Shen" (神, pinyin Shén), and another edition was printed reflecting this usage. By contrast, historically, Chinese Catholics have predominantly used the term "Tian zhu" "天主" (literally, "Lord of Heaven") to address God. Chinese philosophers of religion also use the name Shang Di to refer to the philosophical God.

References

• Creel, Herrlee G., The Origins of Statecraft in China. ISBN 0226120430

See also

• Chinese terms for God
• Religion in China