<blockquote>
<p>Can Tiananmen (天安門) really mean &quot;gate to heaven&quot;?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>it’s like saying “hotdog” is a canine related term </p>
<p>historically, there’re city walls along the “border” of the city of peking (北京城), the royal palace (皇城) and the forbidden city (紫禁城); and there’re many gate(門) at these city walls.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/SInRx.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/SInRx.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>in <a href="https://archive.org/details/06059602.cn/page/n196/mode/2up" rel="nofollow noreferrer">大清一統志 卷一 page 196-197</a>, it mentioned:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>東曰東安門</p>
<p>西曰西安門</p>
<p>正北曰地安門・舊爲北安門</p>
<p>正南曰大清門 . . . 大清門之内曰天安門・舊爲承天門</p>
</blockquote>
<p>at city the wall the royal city (皇城), four of the gates have the name “安門” imo, the character of “安” should be interpreted as “安定” (stable, settled, calm).</p>
<p>the claiming of originated from “受命于天，安邦治国” is quite good, however, it cannot applied to “地安”, “東安”, nor “西安“.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-03T02:34:09.800Z
2020-04-03T02:34:09.800Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>This is just about the origin of the name. </p>

<p>I do not want to associate myself with any warped Western ideas about recent Chinese history!</p>

<p>Read Tiananmen as: Gate of Heavenly Peace</p>

<p>It was called 承天门</p>

<p>Looks like it had been wrecked a few times before.</p>

<p>明末李自成攻陷北京城后，<br>
In the late Ming dynasty (first half of 17th century) Li Zicheng (1605-1645, leader of the peasant rebellion at the end of the Ming dynasty) took Beijing,</p>

<p>承天门又被毁了，<br>
Chengtianmen was destroyed again,</p>

<p>在第二年又开启了重建工作，<br>
2 years later work began on rebuilding it again,</p>

<p>后来清朝顺治帝在原址废墟上进行了大规模的改建工作，<br>
later in the Qing dynasty Emperor Shun Zhi (1638-1662) began extensive rebuilding work, in the original location on the ruins,</p>

<p>也将“承天门”更名为“天安门”，<br>
he also changed the name from Chengtianmen to Tiananmen</p>

<p>意为“受命于天，安邦治国”之意，<br>
he believed he was "Emperor by God's Grace, to bring peace and stability" that kind of idea,</p>

<p>这也是天安门这个名字的来源，<br>
<strong>This then is the origin of the name Tiananmen</strong>,</p>

<p>后来在清朝康熙年间又经历过两次修缮。<br>
later in the Qing dynasty during the reign of Kang Xi (1661-1722) Tiananmen was renovated twice,</p>

<p>它在光绪年间又被洗劫和炮轰，<br>
in the reign of Qing Emperor Guang Xu (1875-1908) it was pillaged and bombed,</p>

<p>直到新中国成立后才修整天安门和天安门广场，<br>
until, with the founding of New China Tiananmen and Tiananmen Square were spruced up</p>

<p>此后它也成为了我国国家的象征。<br>
it then became a national symbol of China.</p>

<p>I love the 华表。</p>

<p>It does not point in space, it points in time and says, "Quo vadis 中国?"</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-03T02:35:12.837Z
“recent Chinese history”, . . . . 哎 
水巷孑蠻
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-03T01:02:37.983Z
2020-04-03T01:02:37.983Z
Pedroski
<blockquote>
  <p>Tian'anmen can be read as a gate to heaven<br>
  <sub><a href="https://philosophicalvegan.com/viewtopic.php?p=45175#p45175" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Philosophical Vegan</a>, web forum</sub></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Is that true? Can Tiananmen (天安門) really mean "gate to heaven"?</p>

<p>I have researched it a bit, the name "Tiananmen" (天安門) literally means "sky/day-peace-door". But "tianan" (天安) itself doesn't mean "heaven", the usual word for "heaven" is "tianguo" (天國), "guo" (國) meaning "kingdom", so "tianguo" means "sky kingdom". Another word that's, as far as I know, used for "heaven" in Chinese is "tiantang" (天堂), literally meaning "sky-room".</p>

<p>I see no reason to think "tianan" (天安) ever meant "heaven". The name of the Korean town Cheonan comes from that and it means "daily peace", right?</p>

<p>I don't speak Chinese at all. So, can you confirm that?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-02T16:36:23.090Z
Hello, I think this is something that a simple Wikipedia search can answer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen (Gate of receiving the Mandate of Heaven and pacifying all under heaven)
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-03T01:13:33.107Z
Let's please keep this focused on learning Chinese.
Becky 李蓓
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-03T15:59:52.047Z
What’s with the downvotes?
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-04T15:20:51.640Z
@user3306356, I guess those downvotes refer to my explanation, which Becky removed, of how the thread in the question was going. It's a bit political.
FlatAssembler
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-04T16:42:00.900Z
Well this certainly isn’t the platform for politics despite its influence on language.
Mou某
<etymology>
Can "Tiananmen" be read as "gate to heaven"?
# Can "Tiananmen" be read as "gate to heaven"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-02)

> Tian'anmen can be read as a gate to heaven  
> [Philosophical Vegan](https://philosophicalvegan.com/viewtopic.php?p=45175#p45175), web forum

Is that true? Can Tiananmen (天安門) really mean "gate to heaven"?

I have researched it a bit, the name "Tiananmen" (天安門) literally means "sky/day-peace-door". But "tianan" (天安) itself doesn't mean "heaven", the usual word for "heaven" is "tianguo" (天國), "guo" (國) meaning "kingdom", so "tianguo" means "sky kingdom". Another word that's, as far as I know, used for "heaven" in Chinese is "tiantang" (天堂), literally meaning "sky-room".

I see no reason to think "tianan" (天安) ever meant "heaven". The name of the Korean town Cheonan comes from that and it means "daily peace", right?

I don't speak Chinese at all. So, can you confirm that?

**Tags:** etymology

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Hello, I think this is something that a simple Wikipedia search can answer. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen (Gate of receiving the Mandate of Heaven and pacifying all under heaven)  
> **username_2**: Let's please keep this focused on learning Chinese.  
> **username_3**: What’s with the downvotes?  
> **username_0**: @user3306356, I guess those downvotes refer to my explanation, which username_2 removed, of how the thread in the question was going. It's a bit political.  
> **username_3**: Well this certainly isn’t the platform for politics despite its influence on language.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2020-04-03. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

> Can Tiananmen (天安門) really mean "gate to heaven"?

it’s like saying “hotdog” is a canine related term

historically, there’re city walls along the “border” of the city of peking (北京城), the royal palace (皇城) and the forbidden city (紫禁城); and there’re many gate(門) at these city walls.

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/SInRx.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/SInRx.jpg)

in [大清一統志 卷一 page 196-197](https://archive.org/details/06059602.cn/page/n196/mode/2up), it mentioned:

> 東曰東安門
>
> 西曰西安門
>
> 正北曰地安門・舊爲北安門
>
> 正南曰大清門 . . . 大清門之内曰天安門・舊爲承天門

at city the wall the royal city (皇城), four of the gates have the name “安門” imo, the character of “安” should be interpreted as “安定” (stable, settled, calm).

the claiming of originated from “受命于天，安邦治国” is quite good, however, it cannot applied to “地安”, “東安”, nor “西安“.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2020-04-03. Score: 1

This is just about the origin of the name.

I do not want to associate myself with any warped Western ideas about recent Chinese history!

Read Tiananmen as: Gate of Heavenly Peace

It was called 承天门

Looks like it had been wrecked a few times before.

明末李自成攻陷北京城后，  
In the late Ming dynasty (first half of 17th century) Li Zicheng (1605-1645, leader of the peasant rebellion at the end of the Ming dynasty) took Beijing,

承天门又被毁了，  
Chengtianmen was destroyed again,

在第二年又开启了重建工作，  
2 years later work began on rebuilding it again,

后来清朝顺治帝在原址废墟上进行了大规模的改建工作，  
later in the Qing dynasty Emperor Shun Zhi (1638-1662) began extensive rebuilding work, in the original location on the ruins,

也将“承天门”更名为“天安门”，  
he also changed the name from Chengtianmen to Tiananmen

意为“受命于天，安邦治国”之意，  
he believed he was "Emperor by God's Grace, to bring peace and stability" that kind of idea,

这也是天安门这个名字的来源，  
**This then is the origin of the name Tiananmen**,

后来在清朝康熙年间又经历过两次修缮。  
later in the Qing dynasty during the reign of Kang Xi (1661-1722) Tiananmen was renovated twice,

它在光绪年间又被洗劫和炮轰，  
in the reign of Qing Emperor Guang Xu (1875-1908) it was pillaged and bombed,

直到新中国成立后才修整天安门和天安门广场，  
until, with the founding of New China Tiananmen and Tiananmen Square were spruced up

此后它也成为了我国国家的象征。  
it then became a national symbol of China.

I love the 华表。

It does not point in space, it points in time and says, "Quo vadis 中国?"

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: “recent Chinese history”, . . . . 哎   

---

