功德 (gōng dé) — (esp. Buddhism) merit accumulated through virtuous deeds and good karma; good deed, meritorious contribution (often for public benefit)
Definition
A Buddhist-rooted term for the spiritual merit (功德) earned through virtuous deeds. In modern secular use it simply means a meritorious public-spirited contribution, as in 为社会做功德.
noun
(esp. Buddhism) merit accumulated through virtuous deeds and good karmagood deedmeritorious contribution (often for public benefit)
Examples
- ，功德。Tā juān qián jiàn le yí zuò sì miào, jī lěi le wú shù gōng dé.He donated money to build a temple, accumulating immeasurable merit.
- ，功德。Bāng zhù bié rén bù qiú huí bào, zhè jiù shì zhēn zhèng de gōng dé.Helping others without expecting anything in return — that is true merit.
- 功德。Zhè jiā gōng sī wèi shè qū zuò le hěn duō gōng dé.This company has done a lot of good deeds for the community.
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