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Chinese Buddhist words

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Chants and phrases you hear in Chinese Buddhism

In ChineseWhat it meansWhen it is said
Namo Amitabha南无阿弥陀佛 Nāmó ĒmítuófóHomage to Amitabha BuddhaThe Pure Land chant, repeated in prayer
Amitabha阿弥陀佛 ĒmítuófóAmitabha BuddhaA monk’s hello and thank you; “bless me” when something goes wrong
Om mani padme hum唵嘛呢叭咪吽 ǎn mā ní bā mī hōngThe six-syllable mantraGuanyin’s mantra, written in characters for their sound
Namo Guanyin南无观世音菩萨 Nāmó Guānshìyīn PúsàHomage to the bodhisattva GuanyinPrayed for mercy and protection
Heart Sutra色即是空，空即是色 sè jí shì kōng, kōng jí shì sèForm is emptiness, emptiness is formThe best-known line of the Heart Sutra, 心经
Heart Sutra mantra揭谛揭谛，波罗揭谛 jiēdì jiēdì, bōluó jiēdìGone, gone, gone beyondThe mantra that ends the Heart Sutra
Well said善哉善哉 shànzāi shànzāiExcellent, so be itA monk’s approval, in stories and dramas

The Buddha and Buddhism

  1. fó佛

    Buddha; Buddhism

  2. fó佛jiào教

    Buddhism

  3. fó佛tuó陀

    (Buddhism) Buddha

  4. shì释jiā迦móu牟ní尼

    Shakyamuni; the Buddha (founder of Buddhism)

  5. fó佛zǔ祖

    the Buddha

  6. rú如lái来

    (Buddhism) Tathagata; the Buddha

  7. fó佛fǎ法

    (Buddhism) Dharma; Buddha's teachings

  8. sān三bǎo宝

    (Buddhism) the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha)

Buddhas and bodhisattvas

  1. pú菩sà萨

    bodhisattva

  2. guān观yīn音

    Guanyin (bodhisattva of compassion)

  3. guān观shì世yīn音

    Avalokitesvara (Guanyin)

  4. mí弥lè勒fó佛

    Maitreya; the Laughing Buddha

  5. dì地zàng藏

    (Buddhism) Ksitigarbha (bodhisattva)

  6. wén文shū殊

    Manjushri (Bodhisattva of wisdom)

  7. pǔ普xián贤

    (Buddhism) Samantabhadra (bodhisattva)

  8. luó罗hàn汉

    arhat (Buddhism)

At the temple

  1. sì寺miào庙

    temple; monastery

  2. sì寺yuàn院

    temple; monastery

  3. dà大xióng雄bǎo宝diàn殿

    Mahavira Hall; main hall of a Buddhist temple

  4. xiāng香lú炉

    incense burner

  5. shāo烧xiāng香

    to burn incense (in worship)

  6. bài拜fó佛

    to worship Buddha

  7. fó佛zhū珠

    Buddhist prayer beads; rosary

  8. mù木yú鱼

    wooden fish (Buddhist percussion instrument)

  9. kāi开guāng光

    to consecrate (a Buddhist statue, amulet)

Monks and nuns

  1. hé和shang尚

    Buddhist monk

  2. ní尼gū姑

    Buddhist nun

  3. fāng方zhang丈

    abbot (of a Buddhist temple)

  4. fǎ法shī师

    master (title for a Buddhist or Taoist monk)

  5. chū出jiā家

    to become a monk or nun

  6. shī施zhǔ主

    alms giver; benefactor (term of address used by monks)

  7. chī吃sù素

    to be vegetarian

  8. sù素shí食

    vegetarian food; vegetarian diet

  9. fàng放shēng生

    to free captive animals (as a Buddhist act of mercy)

Scriptures and practice

  1. fó佛jīng经

    Buddhist scripture; sutra

  2. niàn念jīng经

    to chant scriptures

  3. xīn心jīng经

    Heart Sutra (Buddhist scripture)

  4. jīn金gāng刚jīng经

    Diamond Sutra

  5. chán禅

    Zen; Chan (Buddhism)

  6. chán禅zōng宗

    Chan Buddhism; Zen

  7. zuò坐chán禅

    to meditate (in Buddhism); zazen

  8. dǎ打zuò坐

    to meditate (sitting cross-legged)

  9. míng冥xiǎng想

    meditation

  10. jìng净tǔ土

    (Buddhism) the Pure Land

Ideas

  1. yīn因guǒ果

    cause and effect

  2. lún轮huí回

    (Buddhism) reincarnation; samsara

  3. niè涅pán槃

    (Buddhism) nirvana

  4. gōng功dé德

    merit; good deeds

  5. yuán缘fèn分

    fate; destiny (bringing people together)

  6. cí慈bēi悲

    mercy; compassion

  7. bō般rě若

    (Buddhism) prajna; wisdom

  8. pú菩tí提

    (Buddhism) enlightenment; bodhi

  9. jí极lè乐shì世jiè界

    (Buddhism) Western Paradise; land of bliss

Sayings

  1. nā南mó无

    (Buddhism) namo; homage to

  2. ē阿mí弥tuó陀fó佛

    Amitabha Buddha

  3. shàn善zāi哉

    excellent; well said

  4. sè色jí即shì是kōng空

    (Buddhism) form is emptiness (from the Heart Sutra)

  5. kōng空jí即shì是sè色

    (Buddhism) emptiness is form

How do you say Buddha in Chinese?

佛 (fó), or in full 佛陀 (Fótuó). The historical Buddha is 释迦牟尼 (Shìjiāmóuní), Shakyamuni, also called 佛祖 (Fózǔ) or 如来 (Rúlái), the Tathagata, as in 如来佛祖 in Journey to the West. Buddhism is 佛教 (Fójiào), and to worship the Buddha is 拜佛 (bàifó).

What does 阿弥陀佛 mean?

阿弥陀佛 (Ēmítuófó) is Amitabha, the Buddha of the Western Paradise, 西方极乐世界 (xīfāng jílè shìjiè). Chanting 南无阿弥陀佛, homage to Amitabha, is the practice of the Pure Land school, and 南无 is read nāmó, not nánwú. Monks say 阿弥陀佛 as hello, thank you and goodbye; other people say it the way English speakers say “God bless” or “thank heavens”.

What is Om mani padme hum in Chinese?

唵嘛呢叭咪吽 (ǎn mā ní bā mī hōng), the six-syllable great bright mantra, 六字大明咒. It is the mantra of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, and its characters were chosen for their sound, not their meaning, so the words mean nothing on their own in Chinese.

Who is Guanyin?

观音 (Guānyīn), short for 观世音 (Guānshìyīn), the one who hears the cries of the world: the bodhisattva of compassion, 慈悲 (cíbēi), shown in China as a woman. A bodhisattva is a 菩萨 (púsà). The others you see in temples are 文殊 (Wénshū), wisdom, 普贤 (Pǔxián), 地藏 (Dìzàng), who saves souls in hell, and the fat, laughing 弥勒佛 (Mílè Fó), the Buddha to come.

What is Chinese Buddhism called?

汉传佛教 (Hàn chuán Fójiào), Han Buddhism, a Mahayana tradition; Tibetan Buddhism is 藏传佛教 (Zàng chuán Fójiào). Its biggest schools are 禅宗 (Chánzōng), Chan, which became Zen in Japan, and 净土宗 (Jìngtǔzōng), the Pure Land. Monks and nuns, 和尚 (héshang) and 尼姑 (nígū), are vegetarian, 吃素 (chīsù), and everyday Chinese is full of Buddhist words like 缘分 (yuánfèn), fate that brings people together.

What should you do at a Chinese temple?

At a 寺庙 (sìmiào) people light incense, 烧香 (shāoxiāng), usually three sticks, and bow to the Buddha in the main hall, the 大雄宝殿 (Dàxióng Bǎodiàn). Dress modestly, step over the high threshold rather than on it, don’t point at the statues, and check before taking photos inside a hall. Call a monk 法师 (fǎshī) or 师父 (shīfu), and greet him with your palms together.

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More Chinese culture

Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; the chants from Wikipedia’s Chinese Buddhism, Amitabha and Om mani padme hum.