玄学 (xuán xué) — (historical) the Neo-Daoist philosophical school of the 3rd–4th centuries; (modern, often derogatory) mysticism, superstition, pseudoscientific belief; (philosophy) metaphysics (general term)
Definition
A word with two lives: the 3rd–4th century Neo-Daoist philosophy school (historical sense), and in modern use, a derogatory label for mysticism, superstition, or pseudoscience — not a neutral word.
noun
(historical) the Neo-Daoist philosophical school of the 3rd–4th centuries(modern, often derogatory) mysticismsuperstitionpseudoscientific belief(philosophy) metaphysics (general term)
Examples
- 玄学。Wèi jìn shí qī de xuán xué duì hòu shì zhé xué yǐng xiǎng hěn dà.The Neo-Daoism of the Wei-Jin period greatly influenced later philosophy.
- 玄学，。Tā shuō de nà xiē xuán xué, gēn běn jiù shì mí xìn.That mysticism he talks about is nothing but superstition.
- 玄学，。Bú yào zhěng tiān gǎo zhè xiē xuán xué, duō xué diǎn kē xué zhī shi ba.Don't dabble in that mysticism all day; learn some scientific knowledge instead.
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