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xian

n. (abbreviation of Christian English)

Wikipedia
Xian (disambiguation)

Xian may refer to:

  • Xiàn (县/縣), Counties of the People's Republic of China, third level political subdivisions in the People's Republic of China
  • Xiàn (县/縣), Counties of the Republic of China (Taiwan), an administrative division
  • Xian (state) (弦), a minor state during the Zhou dynasty
  • Xian (surname) (咸), Chinese surname, Cantonese Haam
  • Xian (Taoism) (仙), a Daoist immortal
  • Xian County (献县/獻縣), a county in the Cangzhou prefecture, Hebei province, China
  • Various posthumous names of several rulers, see Emperor Xian (disambiguation)
  • Kun Xian Ho, Singaporean fighting games player usually known simply as Xian
  • Xian (abbreviation), an abbreviation for the word Christian
Xian (Taoism)

Xian is a Chinese word for an enlightened person, translatable in English as:

  • "spiritually immortal; transcendent; super-human; celestial being" (in Daoist/Taoist philosophy and cosmology)
  • "physically immortal; immortal person; immortalist; saint" (in Daoist religion and pantheon)
  • "alchemist; one who seeks the elixir of life; one who practices longevity techniques" or by extension "(alchemical, dietary, qigong) methods for attaining immortality" (in Chinese alchemy)
  • "wizard; magician; shaman" (in Chinese mythology)
  • "genie; elf, fairy; nymph" (in popular Chinese literature, 仙境 xian jing is "fairyland", Faerie)
  • "sage living high in the mountains; mountain-man; hermit; recluse" ( folk etymology for the character 仙)
  • "immortal (talent); accomplished person; celestial (beauty); marvelous; extraordinary" (metaphorical modifier)

Xian semantically developed from meaning spiritual "immortality; enlightenment", to physical "immortality; longevity" involving methods such as alchemy, breath meditation, and T'ai chi ch'uan, and eventually to legendary and figurative "immortality".

The xian archetype is described by Victor H. Mair.

They are immune to heat and cold, untouched by the elements, and can fly, mounting upward with a fluttering motion. They dwell apart from the chaotic world of man, subsist on air and dew, are not anxious like ordinary people, and have the smooth skin and innocent faces of children. The transcendents live an effortless existence that is best described as spontaneous. They recall the ancient Indian ascetics and holy men known as ṛṣi who possessed similar traits.1994:376

According to the Digital Dictionary of Buddhism, Chinese xian (仙) can mean Sanskrit ṛṣi ( rishi "inspired sage in the Vedas").

Xian (surname)

Xian is Chinese surname. Cantonese the Haam, old Chinese the Ham, Hahm.

It could refer to the surname 冼 which was chosen to replace the rare character surname Shan which cannot be displayed on a computer with normal coding. Two hundred people from Gaozhuang Village were affected although people who already registered with their original name were allowed to keep it. The choice was controversial as some people saw that future generations would forget their name.

Xian (abbreviation)

Xian (sometimes Xtian) is a common abbreviation for the word Christian. The X comes from the Greek letter Chi, the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός, Khristós, Latinized as Christus, and ultimately Anglicized as Christ. The -ian is an adjective-forming suffix originating from the equivalent Latin suffix -ianus. The abbreviation follows a pattern similar to that of Xmas. It is generally reserved for highly informal writing. The abbreviation is sometimes used in place of the male given name Christian.

The Oxford English Dictionary records Xtian as an adjective and a noun, first cited in 1845 (although Xtianity for Christianity is cited in 1634), but does not include Xian. Xian can be seen in use in The Diary of Samuel Rogers, 1634-1638, where a footnote to the printed edition states that "Throughout his diary, Rogers abbreviates 'Christ' to 'X' and the same is true of 'Christian' ('Xian'), 'Antichrist' ('AntiX') and related words."

Xian (state)

Xian was a minor state of the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, whose capital was located at modern-day Qishui, Huangzhou District. While it controlled only a small territory along the Yangtze, the Wei clan that ruled Xian maintained far-reaching diplomatic and marital relations with many neighboring states.

Usage examples of "xian".

After Beijing he would head northwestward to Uriimqi and Turpan, where Louisa had written to a linguist and other scholars and made reservations for him, and she would head south to Xian, and Nanjing, and more meetings with her fellow citizens in the small world of folklorists.

This area is under the beneficent control of General Xian, The Shining Path.

Then we find someplace to stay until General Xian or someone like him contacts us again.

Once they reached an intersection and turned off the access road, they felt less vulnerable to a retaliatory attack from Xian or his lieutenants.

Before General Xian appeared on the scene, this was the sole territory of a certain General DiCiancia, a man one could do business with.

General Xian, and DiCiancia will be content to go back to the way things were before?

But maybe after we take care of Xian for you, DiCiancia will hire us to take care of you.

Sounds of close-in combat penetrated to their level, and Ray, Ake, and the dogs guessed that it was only a matter of time before Xian triumphed.

Kyle said, I can give you everything from murals of Xian and the Forbidden City to Manhattan at night and the Rocky Mountains at any time.

When his sire, Coron Eiron, sent Galarun unto the forges of the Mages, there below Black Mountain in Xian, he asked me if I would go with his son, but I would have gone regardless.

Ah, thought Xian, what good is all this stem-cell replacement therapy if you lose your courage, if you age inside?