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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"). ==The word ''xian''== The most famous Chinese compound of ''xiān'' is ''Bāxiān'' (八仙 "the Eight Immortals"). Other common words include ''xiānrén'' (仙人 sennin in Japanese, "immortal person; transcendent", see ''Xiānrén Dòng''), ''xiānrénzhăng'' (仙人掌 "immortal's palm; cactus"), ''xiānnǚ'' (仙女 "immortal woman; female celestial; angel"), and ''shénxiān'' (神仙 "gods and immortals; divine immortal"). Besides humans, ''xiān'' can also refer to supernatural animals. The mythological ''húlijīng'' 狐狸精 (lit. "fox spirit") "fox fairy; vixen; witch; enchantress" has an alternate name of ''húxiān'' 狐仙 (lit. "fox immortal"). The etymology of ''xiān'' remains uncertain. The circa 200 CE ''Shiming'', a Chinese dictionary that provided word-pun "etymologies", defines ''xiān'' (仙) as "to get old and not die," and explains it as someone who ''qiān'' (遷 "moves into") the mountains." Edward H. Schafer (1966:204) defined ''xian'' as "transcendent, sylph (a being who, through alchemical, gymnastic and other disciplines, has achieved a refined and perhaps immortal body, able to fly like a bird beyond the trammels of the base material world into the realms of aether, and nourish himself on air and dew.)" Schafer noted ''xian'' was cognate to ''xian'' 䙴 "soar up", ''qian'' 遷 "remove", and ''xianxian'' 僊僊 "a flapping dance movement"; and compared Chinese ''yuren'' 羽人 "feathered man; ''xian''" with English peri "a fairy or supernatural being in Persian mythology" (Persian pari from ''par'' "feather; wing"). Two linguistic hypotheses for the etymology of ''xian'' involve the Arabic language and Sino-Tibetan languages. Wu and Davis (1935:224) suggested the source was ''jinn'', or ''jinni'' "genie" (from Arabic ''جني'' ''jinnī''). "The marvelous powers of the ''Hsien'' are so like those of the ''jinni'' of the Arabian Nights that one wonders whether the Arabic word, ''jinn'', may not be derived from the Chinese ''Hsien''." Axel Schuessler's etymological dictionary (2007:527) suggests a Sino-Tibetan connection between ''xiān'' (Old Chinese *''san'' or *''sen'') "'An immortal' … men and women who attain supernatural abilities; after death they become immortals and deities who can fly through the air" and Tibetan ''gšen'' < ''g-syen'' "shaman, one who has supernatural abilities, incl() travel through the air". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Xian (Taoism)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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