天王

Earliest extant attestation is in the Springs and Autumn Annals [c. 5th century BCE]:

• 秋，七月，天王使宰咺來歸惠公仲子之賵。 [MSC, trad.]

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  秋，七月，天王使宰咺来归惠公仲子之赗。 [MSC, simp.]

  From: Spring and Autumn Annals, c. 5th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

  Qiū, qīyuè, tiānwáng shǐ zǎi Xuān lái guī Huìgōng Zhòngzǐ zhī fèng. [Pinyin]

  In autumn, in the seventh month, the Heaven-appointed king sent the [sub] administrator Xuan with a present of [two] carriages and their horses for the funerals of duke Hui and [his wife] the second-born Zi.

天王

1. (chiefly historical) the son of heaven; emperor

   • 天王使召武公，內史過，賜晉侯命。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     天王使召武公，内史过，赐晋侯命。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Tiānwáng shǐ Shào Wǔgōng, nèishǐ Guò, cì Jìnhóu mìng. [Pinyin]

     The Heaven-appointed king sent duke Wu of Shao, and Guo, the historiographer of the interior, to confer the symbol of his rank on the marquis of Jin.

   • 文、宣、靈宗，興鄜、密、上、下，用事四帝，而天王不匡，反致文、武胙。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     文、宣、灵宗，兴鄜、密、上、下，用事四帝，而天王不匡，反致文、武胙。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yang Xiong, Fa Yan (Exemplary Sayings), 9 CE

     Wén, Xuān, Líng zōng, xìng Fū, Mì, Shàng, Xià, yòng shì sì dì, ér tiānwáng bù kuāng, fǎn zhì Wén, Wǔ zuò. [Pinyin]

     Dukes Wen, Xuan and Ling built temples at Fu, Mi, Shang and Xia to sacrifice to the Four Deities. The Son of Heaven did not rectify this, and to the contrary, wrongly made offerings to King Wen and King Wu.

   • 瀛海東南各一方，齊趨象闕拜天王。 [Vietnamese Literary Sinitic, trad.]

     From: 《朝鮮正使前以扇贈故云》 ("The Korean Envoy Previously Gifted Me a Fan, so I Reply"), by Lê Quý Đôn to Hong Gye-hui, 1760

     Doanh hải đông nam các nhất phương, tề xu tượng khuyết bái thiên vương. [Sino-Vietnamese]

     Each from the east and south of the vast oceans, we hurry together to the palace to pay respect to the sovereign.

2. Name for deities in the Chinese folk religion or some religions.
3. one who is extraordinary or excellent; king; master; superstar; idol

This term originally gained popularity during the Spring and Autumn Period in reference to the Zhou kings. Later on, the term 天子 (tiānzǐ) gradually gained more favor, even though 天子 (tiānzǐ) had been apparently attested earlier in Zhou dynasty's bronze inscriptions.

• 天皇 (tiānhuáng)

天王

1. (historical) Heavenly King (the title for Hong Xiuquan, the head of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom)
2. (～村) Tianwang (a village in Xinshi, Jingshan, Jingmen, Hubei, China)

The ō reading for 王 changes to nō as an instance of renjō (連声).

• (Tokyo) てんの​ー [tèńnóꜜò] (Nakadaka – [3])[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [tẽ̞nːo̞ː]

• Homophone: 天皇

天(てん)王(のう) • (tennō) ^{←てんわう (ten'wau)?}

1. (Buddhism) heavenly king