Tian (天) is a sacred and fundamental concept in ancient Chinese philosophy.

It has three different meanings. The first is the physical sky or the entirety of

nature (not including human society), the operations of which manifest certain

laws and order. The second refers to a spiritual being, which possesses an

anthropomorphic will and governs everything in the universe. The third denotes

the universal law, which is observed by all things and beings, and which is also

the basis of human nature, morality, and social and political orders.