Diyu
/ˈdiː.juː/noun
The underworld or hell realms in traditional Chinese religion and Chinese Buddhism.
Did you know?Diyu is traditionally ruled by underworld judges, especially Yanluo Wang, a Chinese adaptation of the Buddhist figure Yama.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
地獄
“The written form meaning literally “earth-prison” or “earth-jail.””
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
地獄 *dijuk
“A hell or subterranean prison for the dead; the historical pronunciation behind the modern Mandarin form.”
Buddhist China
Chinese Buddhist
地獄
“The Chinese Buddhist hell realms, influenced by Indian descriptions of naraka, though the Chinese term is not a direct phonetic borrowing.”
Modern Mandarin
Mandarin
dìyù
“Hell, the underworld, or realms of postmortem punishment.”
20th Century
English
diyu
“An English loanword used in translations and scholarship on Chinese religion, mythology, and Buddhism.”