# 三千大千世界
## Chinese

| | | three | thousand | Zhang Daqian, a Chinese artist and forger. | world; realm governed by a Buddha |
| simp. and trad. (三千大千世界) | simp. and trad. (三千大千世界) | 三 | 千 | 大千 | 世界 |
* 三千大千世界

### Etymology

Calque of Sanskrit त्रिसहस्र महासहस्र लोकधातु (trisahasra mahāsahasra lokadhātu).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): sānqiān-dàqiān-shìjiè
    (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄉㄚˋ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: sānqiān-dàqiān-shìjiè
*** Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄉㄚˋ ㄑㄧㄢ ㄕˋ ㄐㄧㄝˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: sanciandàcianshìhjiè
*** Wade–Giles: san$^1$-chʻien$^1$-ta$^4$-chʻien$^1$-shih$^4$-chieh$^4$
*** Yale: sān-chyān-dà-chyān-shr̀-jyè
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanchiandahchianshyhjieh
*** Palladius: саньцяньдацяньшицзе (sanʹcjanʹdacjanʹšicze)
*** Sinological IPA : /sän⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ tä⁵¹ t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵¹/
* Middle Chinese: sam|samH tshen dajH|daH tshen syejH keajH
Rime :
| Character | 三 | 三 | 千 | 大 | 大 | 世 | 界 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 1/2 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 心 (16) | 心 (16) | 清 (14) | 定 (7) | 定 (7) | 書 (26) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 談 (143) | 談 (143) | 先 (85) | 泰 (25) | 歌 (94) | 祭 (35) | 皆 (33) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) | Departing (H) | Departing (H) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | I | I | IV | I | I | III | II |
| Fanqie | 蘇甘切 | 蘇暫切 | 蒼先切 | 徒蓋切 | 唐佐切 | 舒制切 | 古拜切 |
| Baxter | sam | samH | tshen | dajH | daH | syejH | keajH |
| Reconstructions ||||||||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰen/ | /dɑi$^H$/ | /dɑ$^H$/ | /ɕiᴇi$^H$/ | /kˠɛi$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰen/ | /dɑi$^H$/ | /dɑ$^H$/ | /ɕiɛi$^H$/ | /kᵚæi$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰɛn/ | /dɑi$^H$/ | /dɑ$^H$/ | /ɕjæi$^H$/ | /kɐi$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /sam/ | /sam$^H$/ | /t͡sʰɛn/ | /daj$^H$/ | /da$^H$/ | /ɕiaj$^H$/ | /kəɨj$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰen/ | /dɑi$^H$/ | /dɑ$^H$/ | /ɕiɛi$^H$/ | /kɛi$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰien/ | /dɑi$^H$/ | /dɑ$^H$/ | /ɕĭɛi$^H$/ | /kɐi$^H$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /sɑm/ | /sɑm$^H$/ | /t͡sʰien/ | /dʱɑi$^H$/ | /dʱɑ$^H$/ | /ɕi̯ɛi$^H$/ | /kăi$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | sān | sàn | qiān | dài | duò | shì | jiè |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | saam$^1$ | saam$^3$ | cin$^1$ | daai$^6$ | do$^6$ | sai$^3$ | gaai$^3$ |

### Noun

三千大千世界
* (Buddhism) a trichiliocosm (a universe containing a billion worlds).
    Synonyms: 大千世界 (dàqiānshìjiè), 三千世界 (sānqiān shìjiè)
    From: The Lotus Sūtra, translated by Kumārajīva circa 5th century CE
    Pìrú sānqiāndàqiānshìjiè suǒyǒu dì zhǒng. Jiǎshǐ yǒu rén mó yǐ wèi mò. Guòyú dōngfāng qiān guótǔ nǎi xià yīdiǎn. Dà rú wēichén. Yòu guò qiān guótǔ fù xià yīdiǎn. [Pinyin]
    Suppose someone were to grind all the earth in the trichiliocosm into ink powder and then suppose he passed through a thousand lands to the east and then dropped a particle the size of a mote of dust, and then passing through another thousand lands deposited another mote.
    From: The Diamond Sutra, translated by Kumārajīva circa 5th century CE
    Xūpútí! Yú yì yúnhé? Sānqiāndàqiānshìjiè suǒyǒu wēichén, shì wèi duō fǒu? [Pinyin]
    Subhūti, what do you think? Are there very many atoms contained in three thousand great thousand-worlds?

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 三千(さんぜん)大千(だいせん)世界(せかい) (sanzendaisensekai)
* → Korean: 삼천대천세계(三千大千世界) (samcheondaecheonsegye)
* → Vietnamese: tam thiên đại thiên thế giới (三千大千世界)

#### See also

* 小千世界 (xiǎo qiān shìjiè)
* 中千世界 (zhōng qiān shìjiè)
* 三千世界 (sānqiān shìjiè)

### Further reading

* Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “三千大千世界” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].