齊天大聖

Chinese

	even; neat; identical even; neat; identical; ready; to make even; simultaneously; place name	day; sky; heaven	great sage; mahatma; monarch great sage; mahatma; monarch; emperor
trad. (齊天大聖)	齊	天	大聖
simp. (齐天大圣)	齐	天	大圣
Literally: “Great Sage, Equal of Heaven”.

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齊天大聖

Etymology

Earliest extant attestation is in the Yuan dynasty's zaju play Mister Yang Donglai critiques Journey to the West (楊東來先生批評西游記) by Yang Jingxian (楊景賢); it was initially the epithet of the elder brother of Sun Wukong, whose epithet was instead 通天大聖／通天大圣 (Tōngtiān Dàshèng, “The Great Sage Reaching Heaven”):

（孫行者上，云）……小聖弟兄、姊妹五人，大姊驪山老母，二妹巫枝祗聖母，大兄齊天大聖，小聖通天大聖，三弟耍耍三郎。…… [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
（孙行者上，云）……小圣弟兄、姊妹五人，大姊骊山老母，二妹巫枝祗圣母，大兄齐天大圣，小圣通天大圣，三弟耍耍三郎。…… [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
(Sūn xíngzhě shàng, yún)...... Xiǎoshèng dìxiōng, zǐmèi wǔ rén, dàzǐ Líshān Lǎomǔ, èrmèi Wūzhīzhī Shèngmǔ, dàxiōng Qítiān Dàshèng, xiǎoshèng Tōngtiān Dàshèng, sāndì Shuǎshuǎ Sānláng....... [Pinyin]
(Pilgrim Sun enters and says) [...] We five are brothers and sisters: my elder sister is Old Mother of Mount Li, my younger second sister Sagely Mother Wūzhīzhī; my elder brother The Great Sage Equaling Heaven, I - the little sagely one am The Great Sage Reaching Heaven, and my younger third brother is Shuǎshuǎ the Third Son. [...]

Sun Wukong would later be titled 齊天大聖 (“Great Sage, Equal to Heaven”) in Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West:

噫！這句話，頓教跳出輪迴網，致使齊天大聖成。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
噫！这句话，顿教跳出轮回网，致使齐天大圣成。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16^th century CE, translation from The Journey to the West (2012), by Anthony C. Yu
Yī! Zhè jù huà, dùn jiào tiào chū lúnhuí wǎng, zhì shǐ Qítiān Dàshèng chéng. [Pinyin]
Lo, this utterance at once led him to leap free of the Transmigration Net, and be the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): Qítiān Dàshèng

(Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˊ ㄊㄧㄢㄉㄚˋ ㄕㄥˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): cai⁴ tin¹ daai⁶ sing³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Qítiān Dàshèng
  - Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˊ ㄊㄧㄢㄉㄚˋ ㄕㄥˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: Cítian Dàshèng
  - Wade–Giles: Chʻi²-tʻien¹ Ta⁴-shêng⁴
  - Yale: Chí-tyān Dà-shèng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Chyitian Dahshenq
  - Palladius: Цитянь Дашэн (Citjanʹ Dašɛn)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂɤŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: cai⁴ tin¹ daai⁶ sing³
  - Yale: chàih tīn daaih sing
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsai⁴ tin¹ daai⁶ sing³
  - Guangdong Romanization: cei⁴ tin¹ dai⁶ xing³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɐi̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵ taːi̯²² sɪŋ³³/

Proper noun

齊天大聖

An epithet for Sun Wukong, the main character in the classic novel Journey to the West.
- 教四健將：「就替我快置個旌旗，旗上寫『齊天大聖』四大字，立竿張掛。自此以後，只稱我為齊天大聖，不許再稱大王。亦可傳與各洞妖王，一體知悉。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  教四健将：「就替我快置个旌旗，旗上写『齐天大圣』四大字，立竿张挂。自此以后，只称我为齐天大圣，不许再称大王。亦可传与各洞妖王，一体知悉。」 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Wu Cheng'en, Journey to the West, 16^th century CE, translation from The Journey to the West (2012), by Anthony C. Yu
  Jiào sì jiànjiāng: “Jiù tì wǒ kuài zhì ge jīngqí, qí shàng xiě ‘Qítiān Dàshèng’ sì dà zì, lì gān zhāng guà. Zìcǐ yǐhòu, zhǐ chēng wǒ wéi Qítiān Dàshèng, bùxǔ zài chēng dàwáng. Yì kě chuán yǔ gè dòng yāowáng, yītǐ zhī xī.” [Pinyin]
  “Make me a banner immediately,” he ordered the four mighty commanders, “and inscribe on it in large letters, ‘The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven.’ Erect a pole to hang it on. From now on, address me only as the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, and the title Great King will no longer be permitted. The Monster Kings of the various caves will also be informed so that it will be known to all.”
- 入殿瞻仰，神猴首人身，蓋齊天大聖孫悟空云。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
  入殿瞻仰，神猴首人身，盖齐天大圣孙悟空云。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1740 CE, Pu Songling, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio
  Rù diàn zhānyǎng, shén hóushǒu rénshēn, gài Qítiān Dàshèng Sūn Wùkōng yún. [Pinyin]
  He entered the hall [of worship] to admire and pay homage, [and saw] a monkey-headed, human-bodied deity: the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, Sun Wukong.
- 身披旋風，火眼金睛，齊天大聖孫悟空。 [MSC, trad.]
  身披旋风，火眼金睛，齐天大圣孙悟空。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1986; 《生無名本無姓》 Born without Name, Innately without Surname, 付林 Fu Lin & 曉嶺 Xiao Ling (lyrics), 許鏡清 Xu Jingqing (music)
  Shēn pī xuánfēng, huǒyǎn jīnjīng, Qítiān Dàshèng Sūn Wùkōng. [Pinyin]
  His body draped in whirlwind; his eyes fiery, his pupils golden; the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong.

Synonyms

edit

大聖 / 大圣 (dàshèng)
孫行者 / 孙行者 (Sūnxíngzhě)
猴中王 (Gàu-dṳ̆ng-uòng) (Eastern Min)
猴行者 (Puxian Min)
美猴王 (Měihóuwáng)
老猴 (lao⁶ gao⁵) (Teochew)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (齊天大聖):

→ Japanese: 斉(せい)天(てん)大(たい)聖(せい) (Seitentaisei)
→ Vietnamese: Tề Thiên Đại Thánh (齊天大聖)

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of 齊天大聖 – see the following entry.

【斉天大聖せいてんたいせい】

[proper noun] An epithet for Sun Wukong (Son Gokū (孫悟空) in Japanese), the main character in the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West.

(This term, 齊天大聖, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Vietnamese

Proper noun

齊天大聖

chữ Hán form of Tề Thiên Đại Thánh (“(Chinese literature) literally, “The Great Sage Equaling Heaven”, an epithet for Sun Wukong, the main character in the classic novel Journey to the West.”).