Mandate of Heaven

proper noun

The philosophical construct that is the basis of the authority of the Son of Heaven.

OriginLiterary Chinese 天命 →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper nounthe Mandate of Heaven
  1. The philosophical construct that is the basis of the authority of the Son of Heaven.
nounMandate of Heaven (plural Mandates of Heaven)

plural Mandates of Heaven

  1. Any such mandate or blessing.
  2. The Chinese philosophical concept of the circumstances under which a ruler is allowed to rule. Good rulers would be allowed to rule with the Mandate of Heaven, and despotic, unjust rulers would have the Mandate revoked by disasters or revolution.
  3. figurativelyhumorousoftenThe preeminence of an incumbent or institution other than that of the rulers of China.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
divine right

Origin

  1. Literary Chinese天命
  2. EnglishMandate of Heaven

Calque of Literary Chinese 天命 (tiānmìng).

More words from Literary Chinese

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 天命
  • 天命 (tiānmìng)any such mandate or blessing
Japanese 天命
  • 天命 (tenmei)any such mandate or blessing
Korean 천명
  • 천명 (cheonmyeong)any such mandate or blessing
Polish Mandat Niebios
  • Mandat Niebiosany such mandate or blessing
Tagalog Mandato ng Langit
  • Mandato ng Langitany such mandate or blessing
Thai อาณัติแห่งสวรรค์
  • อาณัติแห่งสวรรค์ (aa-nát-hɛ̀ɛng-sà-wǎn)any such mandate or blessing
Vietnamese thiên mệnh
  • thiên mệnhany such mandate or blessing
Cite this entry
APA

Mandate of Heaven. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mandate%20of%20Heaven

MLA

“Mandate of Heaven.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mandate%20of%20Heaven. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mandate of Heaven,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mandate%20of%20Heaven.

Source: Mandate of Heaven on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.