Zi:天

天 [tiān] heaven/sky; day (​今天 ‘today’); 天​空 sky; ​苍天 blue sky; 天​气 weather; season (​冬天 ‘winter’, ​夏天 ‘summer’); 天​神 god/deity

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

►¹tiān* ​天 {A} n. ①sky; heavens ►tiānkōng 天空 ►tiānwén 天文 ②weather; season/time ►tiānqì 天气 ►chūntiān 春天 ►dōngtiān 冬天 ►hàntiān 旱天 ‖ Jīntiān ∼ zhēn hǎo. 今天∼真好。 Today is a fine day. (The weather today is nice/beautiful.) ③nature; natural ►tiānrán 天然 ④God; Heaven ◆n./m. day ►jīntiān 今天 ►zuótiān 昨天 ‖ Wǒ láile sān ∼ le. 我来了三∼了。 I have been here for three days. ◆b.f. ①(positioned) overhead (up above) ►tiānqiáo 天桥 ►tiānchē 天车 ►tiānchuāng 天窗

The Shuōwén Seal form of 天 tiān ‘top/crown (of the head); highest/supreme’ (​顛: ​头​顶; ​最​高) writes the horizontal line ​一 yī ‘one’ at the top/height/pinnacle, marking the head of ​大 dà ‘big/large’ (wide extent); a tall/strong man, with large/wise head/mind reaching up to the sky above, with arms spread wide encompassing/embracing the whole wide earth, his domain/fate.
    Note: ​一 yī ‘one’ (the number of ‘sky/heaven’) is in compounds an abbrev. of the old form of ​上(​𠄞​丄) shàng ‘(heavens/sky) high/above’, assoc. with ​阳/​陽 yáng ‘male/strength/light’ (⚊), ​乾(​𠄃​𠄊) qián (☰䷀); cf. ​雨 yǔ ‘rain’, ​雷/​靁(​𩇓​𤴐) léi ‘thunder’ (䷲), ​云(​𡆳), ​雲 yún ‘clouds’.
    Compare: ​帝 dì ‘king/god’; ​元 yuán ‘(head/top) beginning/primary/primitive’; ​兀 wù ‘towering/extraordinary’; ​不(​𠀚) bù ‘no (higher)’.
    Compare: ​立(​𡗓) lì ‘stand (on/up)’, in which also ​大, but ​一 ‘earth’, as in ​至(​𦤴) zhì ‘attain/arrive’; ​太(​夳​𡙌​泰) tài (䷊).
    Compare: 天 tiān ← MC /thin/; ​颠/​顛(​顚) diān ‘top/crown of the head’ ← MC /tin/thins/; ​帝 dì ← MC /tis/ (SBGY).
    Older graphs associated with 天 are said to depict a person, like ​大(​亣), but with a circle for the head; some later forms look like ​而.
    Compare: ​忝 tiǎn ‘to shame’, assoc. with 天 tiān ‘to brand on the forehead’ (GSR), (​易) ䷥; ​吞(​呑) tūn ‘swallow/gulp/gobble (food/territory/etc.)’.
    HDZ: 天 : tiān : (​古) ​象​人​形…​本​谓​人​颠​顶…​所​以​独​坟 (cf. ​墳/​賁 fèn) ​其​首​者, ​正​特​著​其​所​象​之​处; ​顛/​顚 (​颠​顶): ​人​的​额​部, ​脑​袋; (​古) (​刑​名) ​一​种​在​额​头​上​刺​字​的​刑​罚 (cf. ​忝, ​黥/​剠) (䷥ ​其​人天​且​劓); 天​空 (​苍天); 天​体, 天​象; ​自​然; ​自​然​的, 天​生​的; ​人​或​物​的​自​然​形​质 (天​性); ​某​一​空​间; ​时​令, ​季​节 (​冬天, ​三​伏天); 天​气, ​气​候; ​一​昼​夜​的​时​间; ​日​出​到​日​落​的​时​间 (​今天, ​昨天, ​忙​了​一天; ​三天​打​鱼, ​两天​晒​网); 天​神, ​上​帝, ​自​然​界​的​主​宰​者; (​佛​教) ​神​佛​仙​人​或​他​们​生​活​的​那​个​世​界 (​归天, 天​兵天​将, 天​女​散​花); (​古) ​君​王; ​人​伦​中​的​尊​者; ​所​依​存​或​依​靠​的​对​象; (​方​言) ​垧; (​姓)
►references: Guǎngyùn:133.14; Wieger:1c,60c; Henshall:58; Karlgren:AD996,GSR361a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.522.1; Lindqvist:28; Mathews:6361; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:248.04; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:005.0.09; Wáng(1993):4; EDOC:1
►components: ​一​大​
►Cantonese: tin\
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Unicode: U+5929
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