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佛教徒 (Fó jiào tú) — Buddhist

Definition

noun
Buddhist
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 佛教徒。
    Hěn duō Fó jiào tú měi tiān dōu huì dǎ zuò míng xiǎng.
    Many Buddhists meditate every day.
  • 佛教徒。
    Zhè wèi lǎo rén shì yí wèi qián chéng de Fó jiào tú.
    This old man is a devout Buddhist.
  • 佛教徒，。
    Fó jiào tú Tōng cháng bù chī ròu, yīn wèi tā men zūn zhòng shēng mìng.
    Buddhists usually don't eat meat because they respect life.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

佛教Buddhism
佛fóBuddha教jiàoreligion
偏正Modifier + head
徒túadherent

佛教徒 combines 佛教, the religion of 佛, with 徒, an adherent, meaning a Buddhist.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú佛Fó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

佛 is made from 亻, a person, and 弗, which gives the sound.

Open 佛 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
子子zǐchild
攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority
Sound part声符shēngfú
爻
爻yáo教jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Open 教 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
土
土tǔ徒tú
Same sound today

徒 originally paired 辵, a walking sign, with 土 to show its sound. The shape later changed into 彳 and 走.

Open 徒 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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