Heaven in a Nutshell - A brief listing of the Heavenly entities.

Chinese traditional theology, which comes in different interpretations according to the classic texts, and specifically Confucian, Taoist and other philosophical formulations, is fundamentally monistic, that is to say it sees the world and the gods who produce it as an organic whole, or cosmos. The universal principle that gives origin to the world is conceived as transcendent and immanent to creation, at the same time. The Chinese idea of the universal God is expressed in different ways; there are many names of God from the different sources of Chinese tradition.

The radical Chinese terms for the universal God are Tiān 天 and Shàngdì 上帝 (the "Highest Deity") or simply Dì 帝 ("Deity").There is also the concept of Tàidì 太帝 (the "Great Deity"). Dì is a title expressing dominance over the all-under- Heaven, that is all things generated by Heaven and ordered by its cycles and by the stars. Tiān is usually translated as "Heaven", but by graphical etymology it means "Great One" and a number of scholars relate it to the same Dì through phonetic etymology and trace their common root, through their archaic forms respectively *Teeŋ and *Tees, to the symbols of the squared north celestial pole godhead (Dīng ⼝口).These names are combined in different ways in Chinese theological literature, often interchanged in the same paragraph if not in the same sentence.

Names of the God of Heaven
Besides Shangdi and Taidi, other names include Yudi ("Jade Deity") and Taiyi ("Great Oneness") who, in mythical imagery, holds the ladle of the Big Dipper (Great Chariot) providing the movement of life to the worldAs the hub of the skies, the north celestial pole constellations are known, among various names, as Tiānmén 天⾨門 ("Gate of Heaven") and Tiānshū 天樞 ("Pivot of Heaven"). Other names of the God of Heaven are attested in the vast Chinese religio- philosophical literary tradition:

• ●  Tiāndì 天帝—the "Deity of Heaven" or "Emperor of Heaven": "On Rectification" (Zheng lun) of the Xunzi uses this term to refer to the active God of Heaven setting in motion creation;
  
• ●  Tiānzhǔ 天主—the "Lord of Heaven": In "Document of Offering Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on the Mountain Tai" (Fengshan shu) of the Records of the Grand Historian it is used as the title of the first God from whom all the other gods derive
  
• ●  Tiānhuáng 天皇—the "King of Heaven": In the "Poem of Fathoming Profundity" (Si'xuan fu), transcribed in "The History of the Later Han Dynasty" (Hou Han shu), Zhang Heng ornately writes: «I ask the superintendent of the Heavenly Gate to open the door and let me visit the King of Heaven at the Jade Palace»
  
• ●  Tiāngōng 天公—the "Duke of Heaven" or "General of Heaven";
  
• ●  Tiānjūn 天君—the "Prince of Heaven" or "Lord of Heaven";
  
• ●  Tiānzūn 天尊—the "Heavenly Venerable", also a title for high gods in Taoist theologies;

• ●  Tiānshén 天神—the "God of Heaven", interpreted in the Shuowen Jiezi as "the being that gives birth to all things";
  
• ●  Shénhuáng 神皇—"God the King", attested in Taihong ("The Origin of Vital Breath")
  
• ●  Lǎotiānyé (⽼老老天爺)—the "Olden Heavenly Father".
  Tian is both transcendent and immanent, manifesting in the three forms of dominance, destiny and nature of things. In the Wujing yiyi (五經異异義, "Different Meanings in the Five Classics"), Xu Shen explains that the designation of Heaven is quintuple:
  
• ●  Huáng Tiān 皇天 —"Yellow Heaven" or "Shining Heaven", when it is venerated as the lord of creation;
  
• ●  Hào Tiān 昊天—"Vast Heaven", with regard to the vastness of its vital breath (qi);
  
• ●  Mín Tiān 旻天—"Compassionate Heaven", for it hears and corresponds with justice to the all-under-Heaven;
  
• ●  Shàng Tiān 上天—"Highest Heaven" or "First Heaven", for it is the primordial being supervising all-under-Heaven;
  
• ●  Cāng Tiān 蒼天—"Deep-Green Heaven", for it being unfathomably deep. All these designations reflect a hierarchical, multiperspective experience of divinity.
  

• Lists of gods, deities and immortals
  Besides Shangdi and Taidi, other names include Yudi ("Jade Deity") and Taiyi ("Great Oneness") who, in mythical imagery, holds the ladle of the Big Dipper (Great Chariot) providing the movement of life to the world.As the hub of the skies, the north celestial pole constellations are known, among various names, as Tiānmén 天⾨門 ("Gate of Heaven")and Tiānshū 天樞 ("Pivot of Heaven"
  
• Other names of the God of Heaven are attested in the vast Chinese religio- philosophical literary tradition:
  
• ●  Tiāndì 天帝—the "Deity of Heaven" or "Emperor of Heaven": "On Rectification" (Zheng lun) of the Xunzi uses this term to refer to the active God of Heaven setting in motion creation;
  
• ●  Tiānzhǔ 天主—the "Lord of Heaven": In "The Document of Offering Sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on the Mountain Tai" (Fengshan shu) of the Records of the Grand Historian it is used as the title of the first God from whom all the other gods derive.
  
• ●  Tiānhuáng 天皇—the "King of Heaven": In the "Poem of Fathoming Profundity" (Si'xuan fu), transcribed in "The History of the Later Han Dynasty" (Hou Han shu), Zhang Heng ornately writes: «I ask the superintendent of the Heavenly Gate to open the door and let me visit the King of Heaven at the Jade Palace»;
  
• ●  Tiāngōng 天公—the "Duke of Heaven" or "General of Heaven";
  
• ●  Tiānjūn 天君—the "Prince of Heaven" or "Lord of Heaven"
  
• ●  Tiānzūn 天尊—the "Heavenly Venerable", also a title for high gods in Taoist
  theologies;
  
• ●  Tiānshén 天神—the "God of Heaven", interpreted in the Shuowen Jiezi as "the being that gives birth to all things";

• ●  Shénhuáng 神皇—"God the King", attested in Taihong ("The Origin of Vital
  Breath");
  
• ●  Lǎotiānyé (⽼老老天爺)—the "Olden Heavenly Father".
  Tian is both transcendent and immanent, manifesting in the three forms of dominance, destiny and nature of things. In the Wujing yiyi (五經異异義, "Different Meanings in the Five Classics"), Xu Shen explains that the designation of Heaven is quintuple:
  
• ●  Huáng Tiān 皇天 —"Yellow Heaven" or "Shining Heaven", when it is venerated as the lord of creation;
  
• ●  Hào Tiān 昊天—"Vast Heaven", with regard to the vastness of its vital breath (qi);
  
• ●  Mín Tiān 旻天—"Compassionate Heaven", for it hears and corresponds with justice to the all-under-Heaven;
  
• ●  Shàng Tiān 上天—"Highest Heaven" or "First Heaven", for it is the primordial being supervising all-under-Heaven;
  
• ●  Cāng Tiān 蒼天—"Deep-Green Heaven", for it being unfathomably deep. All these designations reflect a hierarchical, multiperspective experience of divinity.
  
• Lists of gods, deities and immortals
  
• Cosmic gods
  
• ●  Yudi (⽟玉帝 "Jade Deity") or Yuhuang (⽟玉皇 "Jade Emperor" or "Jade King"), is the popular human-like representation of the God of Heaven. Jade traditionally represents purity, so it is a metaphor for the unfathomable source of creation.
  
• ●  Doumu (⽃斗⺟母 "Mother of the Great Chariot"), often entitled with the
  honorific Tianhou (天后 "Queen of Heaven")[i] is the heavenly goddess portrayed as the mother of the Big Dipper (Great Chariot), whose seven stars in addition to two invisible ones are conceived as her sons, the Jiuhuangshen (九皇神 "Nine God-Kings"), themselves regarded as the ninefold manifestation of Jiuhuangdadi (九皇⼤大帝, "Great Deity of the Nine Kings") or Doufu (⽃斗⽗父 "Father of the Great Chariot"), another name of the God of Heaven. She is therefore both wife and mother of the God of Heaven.
  
• ●  Pangu (盤古), a macranthropic metaphor of the cosmos. He separated yin and yang, creating the earth (murky yin) and the sky (clear yang). All things were made from his body after he died.
  
• ●  Xiwangmu (⻄西王⺟母 "Queen Mother of the West"), identified with the Kunlun Mountain, shamanic inspiration, death and immortality.She is the dark, chthonic goddess, pure yin, at the same time terrifying and benign, both creation and destruction, associated with the tiger and weaving. Her male counterpart is Dongwanggong (東王公 "King Duke of the East";[iii] also called Mugong, ⽊木公 "Duke of the Woods"), who represents the yang principle.

• ○  蒼帝 Cāngdì — Green Deity; or ⻘青帝 Qīngdì — Blue Deity or Bluegreen Deity, the Dōngdì (東帝 "East Deity") or Dōngyuèdàdì (東岳⼤大帝 "Great Deity of the Eastern Peak"): he is Tàihào 太昊, associated with the essence of wood and with Jupiter, and is the god of fertility and spring. The Bluegreen Dragon is both his animal form and constellation.His female consort is the goddess of fertility Bixia.
  
• ○  ⿊黑帝 Hēidì — Black Deity, the Běidì (北北帝 "North Deity") or Běiyuèdàdì (北北岳⼤大帝 "Great Deity of the Northern Peak"): he is Zhuānxū (顓頊), today frequently worshipped as Xuánwǔ (⽞玄武 "Dark Warrior") or Zhēnwǔ (真武), and is associated with the essence of water and winter, and with Mercury. His animal form is the Black Dragon and his stellar animal is the tortoise-snake.
  
• ○  ⾚赤帝 Chìdì — Red Deity, the Nándì (帝 "South Deity") or Nányuèdàdì (南 岳⼤大帝 "Great Deity of the Southern Peak"): he is Shennong (the "Divine Farmer"), the Yandi ("Fiery Deity"), associated with the essence of fire and summer, and with Mars. His animal form is the Red Dragon and his stellar animal is the phoenix. He is the god of agriculture,
  岳⼤大帝 "Great Deity of the Western Peak"): he is Shǎohào (少昊), and is the god of the essence of metal and autumn, associated with Venus. His animal form is the White Dragon and his stellar animal the tiger.
  ● 三官 Sānguān or 三官⼤大帝 Sānguāndàdì — Three Officials [of Heaven] or Three Officer Great Deities: Yao 堯 the Official of Heaven (Tiānguān 天官), Shun 舜 the Official of Earth (Deguān 地官), and Yu 禹 the Official of Water (Shuǐguān ⽔水官).
  

• ●  ⿓龍神 Lóngshén — Dragon Gods, or ⿓龍王 Lóngwáng — Dragon Kings: also Sìhǎi Lóngwáng (四海海⿓龍王 "Dragon Kings of the Four Seas"), are gods of watery sources, usually reduced to four, patrons of the Four Seas (sihai 四 海海) and the four cardinal directions. They are the White Dragon (⽩白⿓龍 Báilóng), the Black Dragon (⽞玄⿓龍 Xuánlóng), the Red Dragon (朱⿓龍 Zhūlóng), and the Bluegreen Dragon (⻘青⿓龍 Qīnglóng). Corresponding with the Five Deities as the chthonic forces that they sublimate (the Dragon Gods are often represented as the "mount" of the Five Deities), they inscribe the land of China into an ideal sacred squared boundary. The fifth dragon, the Yellow Dragon (⿈黃⿓龍 Huánglóng), is the dragon of the centre representing the Yellow God.
  
• ●  雹神 Báoshén — Hail God
  
• ●  ⼋八蜡 Bālà, 蟲神 Chóngshén — Insect God, or 蟲王 Chóngwáng — Insect
  King: the gods of insects
  
• ●  痘神 Dòushén — Smallpox God
  
• ●  ⾵風神 Fēngshén — Wind God, or ⾶飛帘 Fēi Lián
  
• ●  海海神 Hǎishén — Sea God, or 海海爷 Hǎiyé — Sea Lord
  
• ●  河神 Héshén — River God: any watercourse god among which one of the
  most revered is the god of the Yellow River, 河伯 Hébó — River Lord
  
• ●  穀神 Gǔshén — Valley God, in the Daodejing a name used to refer to the
  Way
  
• ●  ⽕火神 Huǒshén — Fire God, often personified as Zhùróng (祝融)
  
• ●  湖神 Húshén — Lake God
  
• ●  ⾦金金神 Jīnshén — Gold God, often identified as the 秋神 Qiūshén — Autumn
  God, and personified as Rùshōu (蓐收)
  
• ●  井神 Jǐngshén — Waterspring God
  
• ●  雷雷神 Léishén — Thunder God, or 雷雷公 Léigōng — Thunder Duke;[iii] his consort is 電⺟母 Diànmǔ — Lightning Mother
  
• ●  ⽊木神 Mùshén — Woodland God, usually the same as the 春神 Chūnshén — Spring God, and as Jùmáng (句句芒)
  
• ●  ⼭山神 Shānshén — Mountain God
  
• ●  ⽔水神 Shuǐshén — Water God
  
• ●  ⼟土地神 Tǔdìshén — God of the Local Land, or ⼟土神 Tǔshén — Earth God, or ⼟土地公 Tǔdìgōng — Duke of the Local Land: the tutelary deity of any locality whose female counterpart is 后⼟土 Hòutǔ — Queen of the Earth

• ●  瘟神 Wēnshén — Plague God
  
• ●  湘⽔水神 Xiāngshuǐshén — Xiang Waters' Goddesses, are the patrons of the
  Xiang River
  
• ●  雪神 Xuěshén — Snow God
  
• ●  ⾬雨神 Yǔshén — Rain God
  
• ●  羲和 Xīhé the 太陽神 Tàiyángshén — Great Sun Goddess, or ⼗十⽇日之⺟母
  Shírìzhīmǔ — Mother of the Ten Suns
  
• ●  ⽉月神 Yuèshén — Moon Goddesses: 常羲 Chángxī or ⼗十⼆二⽉月之⺟母
  Shí'èryuèzhīmǔ — Mother of the Twelve Moons, and 嫦娥 Cháng'é
• Gods of human virtues and crafts
  

• ●  保⽣生⼤大帝 Bǎoshēngdàdì — Great Deity who Protects Life
  
• ●  ⼋八仙 Bāxiān — Eight Immortals
  
• ●  蠶神 Cánshén — Silkworm God, who may be:
  ○ 蠶⺟母 Cánmǔ — Silkworm Mother, also called 蠶姑 Cángū — Silkworm Maiden), who is identified as Léizǔ (嫘祖, the wife of the Yellow Emperor: the invention of sericulture is attributed primarily to her
  ⻘青⾐衣神 Qīngyīshén — Bluegreen-Clad God: his name as a human was 蠶 叢 Cáncóng — Silkworm Twig, and he is the first ruler and ancestor of the Shu state, and promoter of sericulture among his people

• ●  財神 Cáishén — Wealth God
  
• ●  倉頡 Cāngjié, the four-eyed inventor of the Chinese characters
  
• ●  城隍神 Chénghuángshén — Moat and Walls God, Boundary God: the god of
  the sacred boundaries of a human agglomeration, he is often personified by
  founding fathers or noble personalities from each city or town
  
• ●  陳靖姑 Chénjìnggū — Old Quiet Lady, also called 臨临⽔水夫⼈人 Línshuǐ Fūrén —
  

• ●  ⾞車车神 Chēshén — Vehicle God
  
• ●  ⼆二郎神 Èrlángshén — Twice Young God, the god of engineering
  
• ●  廣澤尊王 Guǎngzé Zūnwáng — Honorific King of Great Compassion
  
• ●  觀⾳音 Guānyīn — She who Hears the Cries of the World, the goddess of
  mercy
  
• ●  ⿈黃⼤大仙 Huáng Dàxiān — Great Immortal Huang
  
• ●  濟公 Jìgōng — Help Lord
  
• ●  酒神 Jiǔshén — Wine God, personified as 儀狄 Yídí
  
• ●  九天⽞玄⼥女女 Jiǔtiān Xuánnǚ — Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens, a disciple of Xiwangmu and initiator of Huangdi
  
• ●  ⿓龍⺟母 Lóngmǔ — Dragon Mother
  
• ●  魯鲁班 Lǔbān, the god of carpentry
  
• ●  路路神 Lùshén — Road God
  
• ●  媽祖 Māzǔ — Ancestral Mother, often entitled the Queen of Heaven
  
• ●  平安神 Píng'ānshén — Peace God, an embodiment of whom is considered
  to have been Mao Zedong
  
• ●  清⽔水祖師 Qīngshuǐ Zǔshī — Venerable Patriarch of the Clear Stream
  
• ●  陶神 Táoshén — Pottery God
  
• ●  兔兒神 Tùershén — Leveret God, the god of love among males
  
• ●  托塔李李天王 Tuōtǎlǐ Tiānwáng — Tower-Wielding Heavenly King, in person Li Jing, who has three sons, the warlike protector deities Jīnzhā (⾦金金吒), Mùzhā
  (⽊木吒) and Nǎzhā (哪吒)
  
• ●  五顯 Wǔxiǎn — Five Shining Ones, possibly a popular form of the
  cosmological Five Deities
  
• ●  喜神 Xǐshén — Joy God
  
• ●  藥神 Yàoshén — Medicine God, or frequently 藥王 Yàowáng — Medicine
  King"
  
• ●  ⽉月下⽼老老⼈人 Yuèxià Lǎorén — Old Man Under the Moon, the matchmaker who pairs lovers together
  
• ●  獄神 Yùshén — Jail-Purgatory God
  
• ●  灶神 Zàoshén — Hearth God, the master of the household deities including:
  the Bed God (床神 Chuángshén), the Gate Gods (⾨門神 Ménshén) and the
  Toilet God (廁神 Cèshén)
  
• ●  三星 Sānxīng — Three Stars, a cluster of three astral gods of well-being:
  ○ 福星 Fúxīng — Prosperity Star, god of happiness
  ○ 祿星 Lùxīng — Firmness Star, god of firmness and success in life and
  examinations
  ○ 壽星 Shòuxing — Longevity Star, who stands for a healthy and long life
  
• Gods of animal and vegetal life
  
• ●  花神 Huāshén — Flower Goddess
  
• ●  狐神 Húshén — Fox God(dess), or 狐仙 Húxiān — Fox Immortal", also called
  狐仙娘娘 Húxiān Niángniáng — Fox Immortal Lady"
  ○ Two other great fox deities, peculiar to northeast China, are the Great
  Lord of the Three Foxes (胡三太爷 Húsān Tàiyé) and the Great Lady of the Three Foxes (胡三太奶 Húsān Tàinǎi) representing the yin and yang
  
• ●  ⾺馬神 Mǎshén — Horse God, or Mǎwáng ⻢马王 — Horse King
  
• ●  ⽜牛神 Niúshén — Cattle God or Ox God, also called ⽜牛王 Niúwáng — Cattle King
  
• ●  狼神 Lángshén — Wolf God
  
• ●  樹神 Shùshén — Tree God(s)
  
• ●  五⾕谷神 Wǔgǔshén — Five Cereals God,another name of Shennong
  
• ●  猿神 Yuánshén — Monkey God, or 猿王 Yuánwáng — Monkey King, who is
  identified as Sūn Wùkōng (孙悟空)
  
• ●  芝蔴神 Zhīmáshén — Sesame God