齋 (zhāi) - Study room & to purify oneself

齋Tone 1

zhāi ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

悦丈

齋 · zhāi

Study room;

to purify oneself;

to abstain;

a vegetarian diet;

a studio or study for scholarly pursuits.

Study roomto purify oneselfto abstain

Usage highlights

Study roomVegetarian dietFasting/abstinenceStudio nameVegetarian restaurantBuddhist vegetarian meal

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 荤— Meat dish (opposite of vegetarian diet)
  • 俗— Worldly, vulgar (opposite of purified state)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He has a quiet study (书斋) at home.
  • They observed a vegetarian fast before the ceremony (斋戒).
  • This is a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant (素斋馆).
  • The scholar named his studio (斋号) 'Plum Blossom Studio'.

Collocations

  • Study room(书斋)
  • Vegetarian diet(斋饭)
  • Fasting/abstinence(斋戒)
  • Studio name(斋号)
  • Vegetarian restaurant(斋堂)
  • Buddhist vegetarian meal(素斋)

Idioms

  • Fasting and bathing to show reverence(斋戒沐浴)
  • Chanting scriptures and observing vegetarian diet(吃斋念佛)
  • Elegant study and refined room(斋轩雅室)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally refers to a room for study, reading, and artistic cultivation in Chinese literati culture.
  • In religious contexts (Buddhism, Taoism), it denotes purification through vegetarian diet and abstinence before rituals.
  • Scholars often gave elegant names to their studios (斋号) as expressions of personal ideals.

FAQ