ति
ti1
Say it: ti
indeclinable
Sanskrit equivalent
इति iti, itthaṃ
Meaning
indeclinable emphatic deictic particle “thus”. Occurs in both forms iti & ti, the former in higher style (poetry), the latter more familiar in conversational prose. The function of “iti” is expld. by the old Pāli C. in a conventional phrase, looking upon it more as a “filling” particle than trying to define its meaning viz “itī ti padasandhi padasaṁsaggo padapāripurī akkharasamavāyo etc.” Mnd.123 = Cnd.137. The same expln. also for iti’ haṁ (see below iv.)
I. As deictic adv
“thus, in this way” (Vism.423 iti = evaṁ pointing to something either just mentioned or about to be mentioned:
- referring to what precedes Snp verse 253 (n’eso maman ti iti naṁ vijaññā), Snp verse 805; Iti.123 (ito devā … taṁ namassanti); Dhp.74 (iti bālassa sankappo thus think the-foolish), Dhp.286 (iti bālo vicinteti); Vv.79:10 (= evaṁ Vv-a.307); Vv-a.5
- referring to what follows DN.i.63 (iti paṭisañcikkhati); AN.i.205 (id.)
II. As emphatic part
Pointing out or marking off a statement either as not one’s own (reported) or as the definite contents of (one’s own or other’s) thoughts. On the whole untranslatable (unless written as quotation marks), often only setting off a statement as emphatic, where we would either underline the word or phrase in question, or print it in italics, or put it in quot. marks (e.g. bālo ti vuccati Dhp.63 = bālo vuccati).
- in direct speech (as given by writer or narrator), e.g. sādhu bhante Kassapa lābhataṁ esā janatā dassanāyā ti. Tena hi Sīha tvaṁ yeva Bhagavato ārocehī ti. Evaṁ bhante ti kho Sīho…. DN.i.151.
- in indirect speech:
- as statement of a fact “so it is that” (cp. E. “viz.”, Ger. “und zwar”), mostly untranslated Kp.4. (arahā ti pavuccati); Ja.i.253 (tasmā pesanaka-corā t’ eva vuccanti); Ja.iii.51 (tayo sahāyā ahesuṁ makkato sigālo uddo ti); Pv-a.112 (ankuro pañca-sakaṭasatehi… aññataro pi brāhmaṇo pañca-sakaṭasatehī ti dve janā sakata-sahassehi… patipannā)
- as statement of a thought “like this”, “I think”, so, thus Snp verse 61 (“sango eso” iti ñatvā knowing “this is defilement”), Snp verse 253 (“neso maman” ti iti naṁ vijaññā), Snp verse 783 (“iti’ han” ti), Snp verse 1094 (etaṁ dīpaṁ anāparaṁ Nibbānaṁ iti naṁ brūmi I call this N.), Snp verse 1130 (aparā pāraṁ gaccheyya tasmā “Parāyanaṁ” iti)
III. Peculiarities of spelling
- in combn. with other part. iti is elided & contracted as follows icc’ eva, t’ eva, etc
- final a, i, u preceding ti are lengthened to ā, ī, ū, e.g. mā evaṁ akatthā ti Dhp-a.i.7 kati dhurānī ti ibid; dve yeva dhurāni bhikkhū ti ibid. IV. Combinations with other emphatic particles: + eva thus indeed, in truth, really; as icc’ eva Pv.11:9 (evam eva Pv-a.59); t’ eva Ja.i.253; Mil.114; tv’ eva Ja.i.203; Ja.ii.2. -iti kira thus now, perhaps, I should say DN.i.228, DN.i.229, DN.i.240. -iti kho thus, therefore DN.i.98, DN.i.103 DN.iii.135. iti vā and so on (?), thus and such (similar cases Mnd.13 = Cnd.420 A1. -iti ha thus surely, indeed Snp verse 934, Snp verse 1084 (see below under ītihītihaṁ; cp. Snp-a Index 669: itiha? and itikirā); Iti.76; DN-a.i.247, as iti haṁ at Snp verse 783 (same expln. at Mnd.71 as for iti). -kin ti how Ja.ii.159.
-kirā (f.) [a substantivised iti kira] hearsay, lit. “so I guess” or “I have heard” AN.i.189 = AN.ii.191 sq. = Cnd.151. Cp. itiha. -bhava becoming so & so (opp. abhava not becoming) Vin.ii.184 (˚abhava); DN.i.8 (ip = iti bhavo iti abhavo DN-a.i.91); AN.ii.248; Iti.109 (id.); syn. with itthabhava (q.v.). -vāda “speaking so & so”, talk, gossip MN.i.133; SN.v.73; AN.ii.26; It.iii.35. -vuttaka (nt.) [a noun formation fr. iti vuttaṁ] “so it has been said” (book of) quotations, “Logia”, Name of the fourth book of the Khuddaka-nikāya, named thus because every sutta begins with vuttaṁ h’ etaṁ Bhagavatā “thus has the Buddha said” (see khuddaka and navanga) Vin.iii.8; MN.i.133; AN.ii.7, AN.ii.103; AN.iii.86, AN.iii.177, AN.iii.361 sq.; Pp.43, Pp.62 Kp-a.12. Kern, Toevoegselen s. v. compares the interesting BSk. distortion itivṛttaṁ. -hāsa [= iti ha āsa, preserving the Vedic form āsa, 3rd sg. perf. of atthi] “thus indeed it has been”, legendary lore, oral tradition, history usually mentioned as a branch of brahmanic learning, in phrase itihāsa-pañca-mānaṁ padako veyyākaraṇo etc. DN.i.88 = (see DN-a.i.247); AN.i.163; AN.iii.223; Snp verse 447, Snp verse 1020 Cp. also Mvu.i.556
■ hītiha [itiha + itiha] “so so” talk, gossip, oral tradition, belief by hearsay etc. (cp itikirā & anītiha. Cnd spells ītihītiha) MN.i.520; SN.i.154; Snp verse 1084; Cnd.151.
Vedic iti, of pron. base *i, cp. Sk. itthaṁ thus, itthā here, there; Av. ipa so; Lat. ita & item thus Cp. also P. ettha; lit. “here, there (now), then”