Sennin
A xian (simplified Chinese: 仙; traditional Chinese: 僊; pinyin: xiān; Wade–Giles: hsien) is any manner of immortal or mythical being within the Taoist pantheon or Chinese folklore. Xian has often been translated into English as "transcendent", "immortal" or "wizard".
Traditionally, xian refers to entities who have attained immortality and supernatural or magical abilities later in life, with a connection to the heavenly realms inaccessible to mortals. This is often achieved through spiritual self-cultivation, alchemy, or worship by others. This is different from the gods (deities) in Chinese mythology and Taoism.
Xian is also used as a descriptor to refer to often benevolent figures of great historical, spiritual and cultural significance. The Quanzhen School of Taoism defined xiān in various ways, including a metaphorical sense meaning a good or principled person.
Xian have been venerated from ancient times to the modern day in a variety of ways across different cultures and religious sects in China.
In China, gods (deities) and xian are often mentioned together as shenxian (神仙; shénxiān).
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