上帝(shànɡdì)
主要含义有二：其一，上古传说中指主宰宇宙万事万物的最高天神。也叫“天帝”。商周时期，巫是联通人与上帝 的媒介，巫通过卜筮向上帝请示，传达上帝的旨意。其二，指帝国或王朝的最高统治者，即帝王、君主，包括远古或死去的帝王、君主，犹言“天子”。基督教传入 中国后，基督教教士又借用“上帝”一词作为对其所崇奉之神God 的译称。
Supreme Ruler / Ruler of Heaven
The term has two meanings. One is the supreme ruler of the universe, also known as the Ruler of Heaven. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, wizards were the intermediaries between humans and the supreme ruler. They asked for his orders by means of divination and conveyed them to humans. The other meaning is the supreme ruler of an empire or dynasty, that is, the emperor or monarch, including those of remote antiquity and those who had died; each was referred to as Son of Heaven. After Christianity was introduced to China, missionaries used this term as a translation of the word “God.”
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【引例】
先王以作乐崇德，殷荐之上帝，以配祖考。(《周易•彖上》)
皇矣上帝，临下有赫。监观四方，求民之莫。(《诗经•大雅•皇矣》)
Former kings thus created music to extol virtue, conducted grand ceremonies to honor the Ruler of Heaven, and worshipped ancestral tablets. (The Book of Changes)
August is the Ruler of Heaven, beholding the mortal world in majesty. He surveys and watches the four quarters, bringing peace and stability to the people. (The Book of Songs)
