inan (Heian) is written using two characters. The first character is pronounced "ping" in Chinese (Mandarin), "pin" by the Okinawans, and "hei" in Japanese. The character originates from a pictogram denoting plants floating on the top of water and means "flat, level, even; peaceful, clam". The second character " ^" which is pronounced "an" in all the languages mentioned, originates from a pictogram denoting a woman underneath a roof and means "peaceful, tranquil, quiet, content".
It's when we combine the characters that things get interesting. In Japanese, the two characters together would be pronounced as "Heian" and would translate as "peace and tranquillity". However, every karate resource that I have consulted states that "Pinan" (Heian) means "peaceful mind". A translation of "peaceful" I can understand as it could be taken as a legitimate alternative to the literally correct "peace and tranquillity"; but where does "mind" come into it? There is no character for "mind" in the writing of Pinan / Heian.
In his book Karate-DoKyohan, Gichin Funakoshi - who was a student of Anko Itosu: the founder of the Pinan kata - says of the Heian kata, "Having mastered these five forms, one can be confident that he is able to defend himself competently in most situations. The meaning of the name is to be taken in this context'. This explanation of the name does not make sense with the literal translation of Heian (Pinan). Why would Itosu choose to name his kata series "peace and tranquillity" to reflect their holistic combative nature? There is nothing peaceful or tranquil about defending yourself!
The Funakoshi quote is where I think the mistranslation of "peaceful mind" comes from. The word "mind" is added to reconcile the literal translation and the explanation of the meaning i.e. because these five forms can give you confidence in your ability to defend yourself in most situations, your mind can be peaceful. I feel it's still a bit of a stretch; however, I could accept that explanation if it weren't for that fact the characters do not read as "peaceful mind" they read as "peace and tranquillity". So how are we to make sense of Funakoshi's explanation of the name?
At the time Itosu created the Pinan series, "karate" was written using the characters for "Chinese" (^ pronounced "kara" or "to") and "hand" (^ pronounced "te" or "de") giving us the readings of "karate" or "tode". It was when the art spread to Japan that the character for "empty" (^ which can also be pronounced as "kara") was widely substituted in order to make the art easier to promote in mainland Japan. The Okinawans regarded all things Chinese, to quote Funakoshi, to be "excellent and fashionable". However, this positive view of all things Chinese was not shared on the Japanese mainland at that time. It was for this reason that a subtle name change was felt to be appropriate. It was also at this time that the kata were given Japanese names by Gichin Funakoshi - the names used in Shotokan - to replace the original Chinese / Okinawan names.
Itosu, as an Okinawan, will have taken pride in the Chinese origins of the art he practised. Itosu was also employed as a scribe by the Okinawan king and was an expert in the Chinese classics. If you consider that when Itosu created the Pinan series, it was before the art had reached mainland Japan; the art was called "Chinese-Hand"; all things Chinese were held in high regard by the Okinawans; that no other kata had a Japanese name; and that Itosu was an expert in Chinese literature; it seems highly improbable that he will have been thinking along Japanese lines when naming the kata series he created and infinitely more likely that he was thinking along Chinese lines.
Now here is the interesting bit: whilst the characters for Pinan / Heian are read as "peace and tranquillity" in Japanese, they mean something different when read in Chinese. The Oxford dictionaries are arguably the ones held in highest regard in the study of language. The Oxford Chinese-English dictionary states that, when combined together, the characters used for writing "Pinan" and "Heian" mean "safety" or "safe and sound". Similar translations of "free from danger", "safe from danger" and "safe from harm" have also been given to me by speakers of Mandarin. These translations all communicate the same sentiment and are in effect interchangeable. To keep things simple we shall settle on "safe from harm" for the purposes of this article.
We have seen that a Chinese reader will not translate the characters as "peace and tranquillity" - as a Japanese reader would - but is instead more likely to read them as "safe from harm" (or one of the alternatives). I believe "safe from harm" to be the reading Itosu intended to be attached to his creations.