I just realized this wasn’t an evil name across cultures as I have always thought.
Its Chinese translation 天网 (literally sky + net) is a word used for at least for 2,000 years and is still very actively used among the daily vocabulary. It’s a metaphor for law enforcement (especially the destined punishment for going against the “good natural order” i.e. the sky).
Traditionally, it’s neutral or commendatory, but nowadays due to the association with surveillance networks (both metaphorically and literally), it’s more derogatory.
That’s a good interpretation from the Chinese point of view. Ancient China is obsess with “heaven”. Their philosophy and mythology is chock full of reference to heaven, like the “mandate of heaven”.
I just realized this wasn’t an evil name across cultures as I have always thought.
Its Chinese translation 天网 (literally sky + net) is a word used for at least for 2,000 years and is still very actively used among the daily vocabulary. It’s a metaphor for law enforcement (especially the destined punishment for going against the “good natural order” i.e. the sky).
Traditionally, it’s neutral or commendatory, but nowadays due to the association with surveillance networks (both metaphorically and literally), it’s more derogatory.
That’s a good interpretation from the Chinese point of view. Ancient China is obsess with “heaven”. Their philosophy and mythology is chock full of reference to heaven, like the “mandate of heaven”.