shen

Meanings

1. A deity or a spirit, in Chinese folk religion.

1. In Chinese mythology, a shapeshifting dragon or shellfish-type sea monster believed to create mirages.

1. A surname.
2. A river in Hubei, China.
3. A former prefecture of imperial China now within Hengshui, Hebei.

Etymology

* As a Chinese surname of multiple origins: ** Mandarin form of 沈 ** Mandarin form of 申 (shēn) ** Mandarin form of 慎 (shèn) ** Mandarin form of 莘 (see Xin) ** Variant Romanization of 孫 /孙, see Sun. ** Variant Romanization of 陳 /陈 (chén), also another Mandarin form of 諶 /谌, see Chen. * As a European surname of multiple origins: ** Variant form of Dutch Schoen, from schoen (“shoe”) ** Variant form of German Schoen, from schön (“beautiful, nice”) * As a river and former Chinese prefecture, from the Wade–Giles and Hanyu Pinyin romanizations of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 深 (Shēn).