Chinese word

阎王

Pronunciation

Pinyinyán wáng

Meaning

nounking of hell

Example

不要怕，阎王只是传说里的人物。bú yào pà yán wáng zhǐ shì chuán shuō lǐ de rén wù

Don't be afraid; the king of hell is just a figure from legend.

More examples

家里老人连日咳嗽，大家担心他会早日见阎王。jiā lǐ lǎo rén lián rì ké sòu dà jiā dān xīn tā huì zǎo rì jiàn yán wáng

The elderly person in the family has been coughing for days, and everyone worries that he may soon meet the king of hell.

Core concept

A ruler at the boundary between death and the next world who determines what happens to the dead.

Common phrases

见阎王jiàn yán wáng
meet the king of hell
向阎王求情xiàng yán wáng qiú qíng
ask the king of hell for mercy

Similar words

地狱dì yù: A legendary place of punishment where sinners are said to suffer after death.
阴间yīn jiān: The world of the dead, believed to exist separately from the living world.

Definition in Chinese

民间传说和佛教经典中出现的角色，负责审判亡灵并决定其死后去向。mín jiān chuán shuō hé fó jiào jīng diǎn zhōng chū xiàn de jué sè fù zé shěn pàn wáng líng bìng jué dìng qí sǐ hòu qù xiàng

Word origin

阎王 (yánwáng, "king of hell") developed with the spread of Buddhism as a Chinese name for Yama, the judge of the dead in Buddhist tradition.

Usage tips

The word belongs naturally in legends, films, and dramatic talk about death, so it has a story-world tone rather than the neutral tone of an everyday job title.

Opposites

玉皇大帝yù huáng dà dìJade Emperornoun

Related words

阎王爷yán wáng yéKing Yamanoun
阎王殿yán wáng diànKing Yama's hallnoun