tián

Tián (田) is a Chinese term meaning field or farmland. It is also a common Chinese surname. In pinyin, Tián marks the second tone on the character.

The character 田 depicts a cultivated plot of land and is used widely in everyday language and place names. As a surname, Tián is traditionally understood to derive from ancestral associations with a field or farm, often tied to a toponymic origin. It remains a relatively common surname among Chinese people and in overseas Chinese communities.

In modern Chinese usage, the character appears in several everyday words and expressions, such as tiándì 田地 (farmland), tiányě 田野 (fields), and tiánjì 田径 (track and field). It also occurs in various personal and place names.

Cross-cultural notes: The character appears in other East Asian writing systems with related meanings. In Japanese, it is read ta or den and commonly relates to fields, while Vietnamese uses a cognate form Điền in names and compounds.

Notable people: Because of its widespread use, Tián is borne by many individuals across China and in the global Chinese diaspora, appearing in historical records, literature, and contemporary biographical references.