翻譯名義集 7.23

7.23

【滿茶邏（力箇切）】此翻壇。新云正名曼茶羅。言壇者，鄭玄注《禮》云：「封土曰壇，除地曰墠（常演）。」封者起土界也，壇之言坦也。坦，明貌也。《漢書音義》云：「築土而高曰壇，除地平坦曰場。」《國語》云：「壇之所除地曰場。」除，掃也。《周書》曰：「為三壇同墠。」墠，除地也。《說文》云：「野土也。」《爾雅》云：「鹿之所息謂之場。」《詩》云：「九月築場圃。」注云：「春夏為圃，秋冬為場。場即平治土面，於上治穀。」

[Maṇḍala] (Pronounced li-ge). Here it is translated as "altar" (tan). The newer translation says its correct name is maṇḍala. Regarding the "altar," Zheng Xuan's commentary on the Li says: "Mounded earth is called tan; cleared ground is called shan." Mounding means raising earthen boundaries; tan means tan [level, flat]. Tan is the appearance of clarity. The Han shu yinyi says: "Compacted earth built high is called an altar (tan); ground cleared flat is called a ground (chang)." The Guoyu says: "The ground cleared by an altar is called a ground." Clearing means sweeping clean. The Book of Zhou says: "Constructing three altars on the same cleared ground." Shan means cleared ground. The Shuowen says: "Wild ground." The Erya says: "Where deer rest is called a ground." The Book of Odes says: "In the ninth month they make the ground and vegetable garden." The commentary says: "In spring and summer it is a vegetable garden; in autumn and winter it is a threshing ground. A ground means levelling the earth's surface to process grain upon it."