Tu Di Gong
| Tudigong | |||||||||||
Tudigong
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| Chinese | |||||||||||
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| Literal meaning | Lord of the Soil and the Ground | ||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Chinese | 土地 or 土公 | ||||||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Tǔdìgōng |
| Southern Min | |
| Hokkien POJ | Thó-tī-kong/Thó͘-tī-kong |
| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Tǔdì or Tǔgōng |
Tudigong (土地公 "Lord of the Soil and the Ground") or Tudishen (土地神 "God of the Soil and the Ground"), also known as Tudi (土地 "Soil-Ground"), Tugong (土公 "Lord of the Soil"), Tu Shen (社神), Pek Gong (伯公), Tu Ti Hou Fu Shen (土地或福神), Sheshen (社神 "God of the Social Body"), Shegong (社公 "Lord of the Social Body"), Tudijun (土帝君 "Ruler God of the Soil"), or also known as Houtu (后土) and Dabogong (大伯公 "Great Elder Lord") or Bogong(伯公 "Elder Lord"), is a Chinese tutelary deity of a natural locality in Chinese folk religion and Taoism. Some people consider his formal title as Fudezhengshen (福德正神 "Right God of Blessing and Virtue"), or Fudegong (福德公 "Lord of Blessing and Virtue"). Commoners often call Tudigong "grandfather" (yeye), which reflects his close relationship with the common people.
Tudigong is portrayed as an elderly man with a long white beard, a black or gold hat and a red or yellow robe, which signifies his position as a bureaucrat. He carries a wooden staff in his right hand and a golden ingot on the left. In old days, if one of the citizens passed the state examination and became a governor, the Tu Di Gong statue of his home village would be given a hat and robe of governor. Nowadays, Tu Di Gong is worshiped as the god of wealth and fortune. Merchants and businessmen pray to him to bless their job. He also repel evil spirits so that people placed his altar inside their houses.
Some places displays his statue resembling Cheng Huang Lao Ye, with white face and black beard and hair. His statue also often displayed with his consort, i.e. Tu Di Po in his right side, and hold a lump of gold in his right hand. But in house altar, he often displayed alone. Sometimes he is accompanied with a tiger or Hu Jiang Jun (Hokkien=Houw Ciang Kun) which is believed help him to chased away evil spirits and help people from disasters. Another version says that his and his wife's loyal servant are Bai Hu Shen (Hanzi=白虎神; pinyin=bái hǔ shén; lit. White Tiger God) and Long Shen (Hanzi=龙神; pinyin=lóng shén; lit. Dragon God) who protect human from another human.
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