禪 (chán) - Zen — refers to Zen Buddhism, meditation, contemplation & also used in the sense of abdication or

禪Tone 2

chán ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

偲嫦

禪 · chán

Zen — refers to Zen Buddhism, meditation, contemplation;

also used in the sense of abdication or yielding the throne to another.

Zen — refers to Zen Buddhism, meditation, contemplationalso used in the sense of abdication or

Usage highlights

Zen BuddhismZen meditationZen masterZen templeZen philosophyabdicate the throne

Synonyms

  • 禅宗— Zen school of Buddhism
  • 禅定— meditative concentration
  • 禅让— abdication in favor of another

Antonyms

  • 教— doctrine/teaching (as opposed to Zen's direct transmission)
  • 争— contention/struggle (antonym to yielding/abdication sense)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He practices Zen meditation (禅坐).
  • The Zen school of Buddhism (禅宗) originated in China.
  • The emperor abdicated the throne (禅位).
  • Zen gardens are known for their simplicity (禅意花园).

Collocations

  • Zen Buddhism(禅宗)
  • Zen meditation(禅坐)
  • Zen master(禅师)
  • Zen temple(禅寺)
  • Zen philosophy(禅理)
  • abdicate the throne(禅位)

Idioms

  • Silent illumination Zen(默照禅)
  • Pointing directly to the human mind(直指人心)
  • Seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha(见性成佛)
  • A special transmission outside the scriptures(教外别传)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 禅 represents the Chinese Chan school of Buddhism, which later developed into Japanese Zen.
  • In historical context, 禅 also refers to the ancient practice of abdication, where a ruler would yield the throne to a worthy successor.
  • Zen emphasizes direct experience and meditation over scriptural study, with the famous principle of 'not establishing words and letters'.

FAQ