| 释义 |
▪ I. Nandi, n.1|ˈnændɪ|
[Skr., ‘the happy one’.]
In Hindu mythology, the name of the bull of Siva which is his vahan or vehicle, and symbolizes fertility; also, a figure or statue of Nandi.
1807H. T. Colebrooke in Asiatick Researches IX. 425 Near it stands a bull, intended perhaps for the bull called Nandí, a constant attendant of Śiva. 1891M. Monier-Williams Brāhmanism & Hinduism (ed. 4) xvii. 440 A shrine for the stone image of Siva's bull (nandi). 1910Encycl. Relig. & Ethics III. 311/2 A represention of his sacred animal, the bull Nandī, is usually placed before him [sc. Śiva]. 1953Antiquity XXVII. 169 Worth mentioning also are some clay censers, the handle of one being ornamented with a nandi. 1969Hindu Weekly Mag. (Madras) 3 Aug. p. ii/6 The majestic ‘Nandi’, the conventional vehicle of Lord Siva in front of the ‘sanctum’ in the forecourt.
▪ II. Nandi, n.2 and a.|ˈnændɪ|
[Native name.]
A. n.
a. An East African people of mixed Nilotic, Hamitic, and Bantu origin which inhabits an area on the Uganda-Kenya border and has given its name to the Nandi plateau; a member of this people.
b. The Nilotic language spoken by the Nandi and some neighbouring tribes.
B. adj. Of or pertaining to this people or their language.
1885J. Thomson Through Masăi Land (ed. 3) 469 From this place we could see the high forest region of Nandi... The Wa-nandi are allied in language and customs to the Wa-kamaria and Wa-elgeyo, though much braver and more warlike. 1902H. H. Johnston Uganda Protectorate II. xix. 876 All the Nandi-speaking peoples except the Andorobo make pottery. Ibid. 882 The Nandi especially believe profoundly in the powers of their medicine men, and follow them implicitly. 1909C. Eliot in A. C. Hollis Nandi p. xiv, Most of the wild hunting tribes called Dorobo speak a dialect of Nandi. Ibid. p. xxi, When a Nandi is ill, it is necessary to discover and propitiate the particular ancestor who has occasioned the disaster. 1909Westm. Gaz. 3 Feb. 4/1 (heading) Nandi customs and folk⁓lore. 1930C. G. Seligman Races Afr. vii. 163 The Nandi and Suk may be said to live in garden settlements, each man having his own homestead in or near his fields of grain. 1951in E. E. Evans-Pritchard Social Anthropol. i. 12 (thesis-title) ‘The political organization of the Nandi’ (East Africa). 1964A. N. Tucker in D. Abercrombie et al. Daniel Jones 445 The Nandi Group, comprising Nandi, Kipsigis, [etc.].
b. Nandi bear, a hypothetical animal resembling a bear, said to inhabit parts of East Africa.
1931C. R. S. Pitman Game Warden xiv. 287 Tales of that elusive monster popularly known in Kenya as the ‘Nandi bear’ can boast a more substantial basis. 1937Discovery Jan. 2/2 The Wandarobo name ‘Keret’ or ‘Kerit’ is applied to the lynx or caracal as well as to the mythical ‘Nandi Bear’. 1950Sun (Baltimore) 2 May 13/2 The curious Nandi bear..is often blamed for the killing of humans and domesticated animals in East Africa. Although scientific evaluation is lacking, native and white hunters alike claim to have encountered the beast; and several descriptions of the bearlike creature agree on its shambling gait, shaggy hair, little ears and long snout. 1956Nature 10 Mar. 446/1 This animal may be the dreaded Nandi bear. |