小天

xiǎotiān
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 alternate name for the Vice Minister of Personnel (吏部侍郎)
  2. 2 a subsidiary grotto-heaven (a lesser 洞天)
  3. 3 'little Tian' (affectionate nickname for someone surnamed Tian or with 天 in the name)

Examples

HSK 1
Xiǎotiān, bāng wǒ ná yíxià nà běn shū.
Xiao Tian, grab that book for me.
HSK 7-9
唐代吏部侍郎小天
Tángdài chēng lìbù shìláng wéi xiǎotiān.
In the Tang dynasty, the Vice Minister of Personnel was called 'xiǎotiān'.

Tips

history
In Tang bureaucracy, the Ministry of Personnel (吏部) was nicknamed 天官 ('Heaven Office'), so its head was 大天 and his deputy 小天. Now archaic, but common in historical dramas.

Stroke Order

xiǎo
tiān