曼荼罗 (màn tú luō) — mandala (Buddhist/Hindu symbolic diagram)

Definition

A mandala is a sacred geometric diagram in Buddhism and Hinduism, used as a meditation aid and a symbol of the universe. The name is a transliteration from Sanskrit, so it has no Chinese character-meaning to unpack.

noun
mandala (Buddhist/Hindu symbolic diagram)

Examples

  • ，曼荼罗。
    Zài fó jiào zhōng, màn tú luō shì yì zhǒng xiàng zhēng yǔ zhòu de tú xíng.
    In Buddhism, a mandala is a symbol representing the universe.
  • 曼荼罗，。
    Sēng rén men yòng cǎi sè shā zi zhì zuò màn tú luō, wán chéng hòu biàn jiāng qí sǎo qù.
    Monks create mandalas with colored sand, then sweep them away after completion.
  • 曼荼罗，。
    Zhè fú màn tú luō huà zuò sè cǎi fēng fù, xì jié jīng zhì.
    This mandala painting has rich colors and intricate details.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 曼 →

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
余
余yú荼tú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 艸 marks this as a grassy plant, while 余 supplies the sound.

Open 荼 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 羅; 罗 is its simplified writing.

  • 网网wǎngnet
  • 維維wéibird (tied with string)

The traditional form 羅 combines 网 (net) with 維 (a bird tied with string) to show a net for catching birds; the simplified 罗 is a later abbreviation.

Open 罗 →

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