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Underworld in Chinese / Japanese...
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Hell
地獄 is the way that hell is written in modern Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
There's more than one way to express hell, but this is the one that has stood the test of time.
The first character refers to the ground or the earth.
The second character means jail or prison.
You can also translate this word as infernal, inferno, Hades, or underworld.
It should be noted that this is a somewhat terrible selection for a wall scroll. Hanging this in your home is like telling the world that your home is hell. Oddly, many people search for this on our website, so I added it for reference.
Hell / Kingdom of the Underworld
yīn cáo dì fǔ
陰曹地府 can mean Hell, Hades, Kingdom of the Underworld, or the Netherworld.
When Chinese people talk about Hell, this is usually the term they use. Please note that this is a somewhat oral and informal word.
This is a really weird selection for a wall scroll, so consider this for educational purposes only.
Not the results for underworld that you were looking for?
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your underworld search...
| Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
地獄 地狱 see styles |
dì yù di4 yu4 ti yü jigoku じごく |
More info & calligraphy: Hell(1) {Buddh} hell realm; Naraka; (2) {Christn} Hell; (3) hell; misery; nightmare; inferno; (4) place where a volcano or hot springs constantly spew smoke or steam; (place-name) Jigoku naraka, 捺落迦 (or 那落迦) ; niraya 泥犂; explained by 不樂 joyless; 可厭 disgusting, hateful; 苦具, 苦器 means of suffering; if 地獄 earth-prison; 冥府 the shades, or departments of darkness. Earth-prison is generally intp. as hell or the hells; it may also be termed purgatory; one of the six gati or ways of transmigration. The hells are divided into three classes: I. Central, or radical, 根本地獄 consisting of (1) The eight hot hells. These were the original hells of primitive Buddhism, and are supposed to be located umder the southern continent Jambudvīpa 瞻部州, 500 yojanas below the surface. (a) 等活 or 更活 Saṃjīva, rebirth, where after many kinds of suffering a cold wind blows over the soul and returns it to this life as it was before, hence the name 等活. (b) 黑繩 Kaslasūtra, where the sufferer is bound with black chains and chopped or sawn asunder. (c) 線合; 衆合; 堆壓 Saṃghāta, where are multitudes of implements of torture, or the falling of mountains upon the sufferer. (d) 號呌; 呼呼; 叫喚 Raurava, hell of wailing. (e) 大呌; 大號呌; 大呼 Mahāraurava, hell of great wailing. (f) 炎熱; 燒炙 Tapana, hell of fames and burning. (g) 大熱; 大燒炙; 大炎熱 Pratāpana, hell of molten lead. (h) 無間; 河鼻旨; 阿惟越致; 阿毗至; 阿鼻; 阿毗 Avīci, unintermitted suffering, where sinners die and are reborn to suffer without interval. (2) The eight cold hells 八寒地獄. (a) 頞浮陀地獄 Arbuda, where the cold causes blisters. (b) 尼刺部陀 Nirarbuda, colder still causing the blisters to burst. (c) 頞哳吒; 阿吒吒 Atata, where this is the only possible sound from frozen lips. (d) 臛臛婆; 阿波波 Hahava or Apapa, where it is so cold that only this sound can be uttered. (e) 虎虎婆 Hāhādhara or Huhuva, where only this sound can be uttered. (f) 嗢鉢羅; 鬱鉢羅 (or 優鉢羅) Utpala, or 尼羅鳥 (or 漚) 鉢羅 Nīlotpala, where the skin is frozen like blue lotus buds. (g) 鉢特摩 Padma, where the skin is frozen and bursts open like red lotus buds. (h) 摩訶鉢特摩 Mahāpadma, ditto like great red lotus buds. Somewhat different names are also given. Cf. 倶舍論 8; 智度論 16; 涅槃經 11. II. The secondary hells are called 近邊地獄 adjacent hells or 十六遊增 each of its four sides, opening from each such door are four adjacent hells, in all sixteen; thus with the original eight there are 136. A list of eighteen hells is given in the 十八泥梨經. III. A third class is called the 孤地獄 (獨地獄) Lokāntarika, or isolated hells in mountains, deserts, below the earth and above it. Eitel says in regard to the eight hot hells that they range 'one beneath the other in tiers which begin at a depth of 11,900 yojanas and reach to a depth of 40,000 yojanas'. The cold hells are under 'the two Tchahavālas and range shaft-like one below the other, but so that this shaft is gradually widening to the fourth hell and then narrowing itself again so that the first and last hell have the shortest, those in the centre the longest diameter'. 'Every universe has the same number of hells, ' but 'the northern continent has no hell whatever, the two continents east and west of Meru have only small Lokāntarika hells... whilst all the other hells are required for the inhabitants of the southern continent '. It may be noted that the purpose of these hells is definitely punitive, as well as purgatorial. Yama is the judge and ruler, assisted by eighteen officers and a host of demons, who order or administer the various degrees of torture. 'His sister performs the same duties with regard to female criminals, ' and it may be mentioned that the Chinese have added the 血盆池 Lake of the bloody bath, or 'placenta tank' for women who die in childbirth. Release from the hells is in the power of the monks by tantric means. |
陰曹地府 阴曹地府 see styles |
yīn cáo dì fǔ yin1 cao2 di4 fu3 yin ts`ao ti fu yin tsao ti fu |
More info & calligraphy: Hell / Kingdom of the Underworld |
冥 see styles |
míng ming2 ming mei / me めい |
dark; deep; stupid; the underworld (female given name) Mei Darkness, obscurity; deep. Hades; used chiefly in the sense of 無知 ignorance, profound, secret, invisible, e.g. as opposed to 顯 open, manifest. |
幽 see styles |
yōu you1 yu yū |
remote; hidden away; secluded; serene; peaceful; to imprison; in superstition indicates the underworld; ancient district spanning Liaonang and Hebei provinces obscure |
九泉 see styles |
jiǔ quán jiu3 quan2 chiu ch`üan chiu chüan kyuusen / kyusen きゅうせん |
the nine springs; the underworld of Chinese mythology; Hades hades; nether regions |
冥土 see styles |
míng tǔ ming2 tu3 ming t`u ming tu mei do めいど |
(Buddhist term) Hades; the underworld; the other world; realm of the dead underworld |
冥府 see styles |
míng fǔ ming2 fu3 ming fu meifu / mefu めいふ |
underworld; hell (1) (See 冥土) realm of the dead; the other world; underworld; (2) hell The palace of darkness, Hades. |
冥路 see styles |
míng lù ming2 lu4 ming lu myōro |
underworld |
冥途 see styles |
míng tú ming2 tu2 ming t`u ming tu meido / medo めいど |
(Buddhist term) Hades; the underworld; the other world; realm of the dead; (personal name) Meido underworld |
判官 see styles |
pàn guān pan4 guan1 p`an kuan pan kuan hangan; hougan; jou; zou / hangan; hogan; jo; zo はんがん; ほうがん; じょう; ぞう |
magistrate (during Tang and Song dynasties); mythological underworld judge (1) (はんがん only) judge; magistrate; (2) (archaism) (See 四等官,尉・じょう・1) 3rd grade official (ritsuryō system); assistant district officer; inspector; (person) Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune (nickname) |
地蔵 see styles |
jizou / jizo じぞう |
(abbreviation) Kshitigarbha (bodhisattva who looks over children, travellers and the underworld); Ksitigarbha; Jizō; (surname) Jizō |
幫會 帮会 see styles |
bāng huì bang1 hui4 pang hui |
secret society; underworld gang |
極道 极道 see styles |
jí dào ji2 dao4 chi tao gokudou / gokudo ごくどう |
yakuza (adjectival noun) (1) wicked; evil; profligate; immoral; (2) wickedness; evildoing; (3) organized crime; yakuza; underworld |
江湖 see styles |
jiāng hú jiang1 hu2 chiang hu gouko / goko ごうこ |
rivers and lakes; all corners of the country; remote areas to which hermits retreat; section of society operating independently of mainstream society, out of reach of the law; the milieu in which wuxia tales play out (cf. 武俠|武侠[wu3 xia2]); (in late imperial times) world of traveling merchants, itinerant doctors, fortune tellers etc; demimonde; (in modern times) triads; secret gangster societies; underworld Zen disciples; (surname) Kōko Kiangsi and Hunan, where and whence the 禪 Chan (Zen) or Intuitive movement had its early spread, the title being applied to followers of this cult. |
泉門 see styles |
senmon せんもん |
(1) soft spot (in the skull of an infant); fontanelle; fontanel; (2) (See 黄泉) gates of Hades; entrance to the underworld; (surname) Izumikado |
獄道 see styles |
gokudou / gokudo ごくどう |
(adjectival noun) (1) wicked; evil; profligate; immoral; (2) wickedness; evildoing; (3) organized crime; yakuza; underworld |
異界 see styles |
ikai いかい |
spirit world; underworld; the next world |
秘所 see styles |
hisho ひしょ |
(1) secret or hidden place; (2) (euph.) female genitalia; (3) the underworld; the other world |
陰兵 see styles |
yīn bīng yin1 bing1 yin ping |
underworld soldier; ghost soldier |
陰府 see styles |
inpu; yomi(gikun) いんぷ; よみ(gikun) |
(See 黄泉) path to the netherworld (underworld); Hades; Hell |
馬面 马面 see styles |
mǎ miàn ma3 mian4 ma mien umazura; bamen; umagao うまづら; ばめん; うまがお |
Horse-Face, one of the two guardians of the underworld in Chinese mythology (1) long thin face; (2) (うまづら only) (See 馬面剥) Black Scraper (fish); (surname) Bamen |
黃泉 黄泉 see styles |
huáng quán huang2 quan2 huang ch`üan huang chüan yomiji |
the Yellow Springs; the underworld of Chinese mythology; the equivalent of Hades or Hell The yellow springs, the shades. |
黄土 see styles |
oudo; koudo / odo; kodo おうど; こうど |
(1) {geol} loess; (2) yellow ochre; yellow ocher; (3) (こうど only) (archaism) Hades; hell; underworld; world of the dead; (surname) Oudo |
黄壌 see styles |
koujou / kojo こうじょう |
(1) (See 黄土・おうど・1) yellow soil; loess; (2) (archaism) (See 黄泉・こうせん・2) Hades; hell; underworld; world of the dead |
黄泉 see styles |
kousen; yomi(gikun) / kosen; yomi(gikun) こうせん; よみ(gikun) |
(1) Hades; hell; underworld; (2) (こうせん only) (obsolete) (orig. meaning) underground spring; (female given name) Yomi |
黑道 see styles |
hēi dào hei1 dao4 hei tao |
dark road; criminal ways; the underworld; see also 白道[bai2 dao4] |
冥き途 see styles |
kurakimichi くらきみち |
Hades; underworld; realm of the dead; other world |
平等王 see styles |
píng děng wáng ping2 deng3 wang2 p`ing teng wang ping teng wang byōdō ō |
Yama, the impartial or just judge and awarder. But the name is also applied to one of the Ten Rulers of the Underworld, distinct from Yama. Also, name of the founder of the kṣatriya caste, to which the Śākyas belonged. |
底の国 see styles |
sokonokuni そこのくに |
(archaism) (See 根の国) underworld |
悪の巷 see styles |
akunochimata あくのちまた |
skid row; underworld |
Click here for more underworld results from our dictionary
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
| Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
| Hell | 地獄 地狱 | jigoku | dì yù / di4 yu4 / di yu / diyu | ti yü / tiyü |
| Hell Kingdom of the Underworld | 陰曹地府 阴曹地府 | yīn cáo dì fǔ yin1 cao2 di4 fu3 yin cao di fu yincaodifu | yin ts`ao ti fu yintsaotifu yin tsao ti fu |
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| In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. | ||||
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