ཐང་།

Here are some compounds with thang. The component thang (at least in some compounds) is said to be derived from the Chinese (Bod rgya). But is there something common in all groups of compounds? Can the meanings of thang be subsumed into two: (a) “liquid essence (of something boiled)” denoting some nourishing or rejuvenating power and (b) “plane” or “flat surface” (of something)? At any rate, here are some roughly organized compounds.

(a) Connected with “liquid essence (of something)”?

1. ja thang, i.e. un-churned tea (ma bsrubs pa’i ja)

2. sha thang “(clear) meat-soup” (sha’i khu ba)

3. rus thang “bone-soup”

(b) Connected with plane or flat surface?

1. spang thang

2. bye thang

3. byang thang

4. rtswa thang

5. gram thang

6. klung thang

7. rkyang thang

8. skyin thang “blizzard” (?)

1. Klong/Glong thang

2. sTong thang

3. ’Phang thang

4. Li thang

5. ’Ba’ thang

6. rTse thang

7. Glang thang

(c) Connected with “liquid essence (of something)”?

1. rin thang “cost, price”

2. gong thang “cost/price”

3. skor thang “yield”

(d) Connected with “plane” or “liquid essence”?

1. mnga’ thang

2. thob thang

3. dbang thang

4. ’jon thang

(e) Connected with “liquid essence” (and thus also “glow”)?

1. gsal thang 

2. bde thang 

3. mkhrang thang

4. thang dkar (rgod po) 

5. (bya rgod) thang nag

6. (bya rgod) thang smug

(f) Connected with plane or flat surface?

1. thang ka/ga

2. sku thang

3. bris thang

4. dkyil thang

5. gos thang

(g) Connected with “liquid essence”?

1. thang shing

2. thang dmar

(h) Connected with “liquid essence”?

1. thang g/cig (cf. thengs gcig)

(i) Connected with “liquid essence”?

1. thang chad pa

2. yid thang chad pa

(k) Connected with plane or flat surface?

1. rkang thang “on foot”