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真言 (zhēn yán) — mantra (in Buddhism); true words; sincere statement

Definition

真言 is a formal word: in Buddhism it means a sacred mantra; in general use it means 'sincere, heartfelt words' (as in 肺腑之真言).

noun
mantra (in Buddhism)true wordssincere statement

Examples

  • 真言。
    Tā měi tiān dōu huì niàn sòng zhè duàn zhēn yán.
    He chants this mantra every day.
  • 真言，。
    Zhè xiē huà dōu shì tā de fèi fǔ zhī zhēn yán, nǐ yào xiāng xìn tā.
    These are his heartfelt true words — you should believe him.
  • 真言。
    zhēn yán Zài fó jiào zhōng yǒu hěn shēn de hán yì.
    Mantras have very profound meanings in Buddhism.

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.

真zhēntrue
言yánwords

The sense of 真 as true joins with 言 as words to mean sincere words or a mantra.

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
貝貝bèicowrie; shell
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂈
𠂈𠂈真zhēn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

Open 真 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The early form of 言 shows an opening and a mark indicating a location; the location is not described as the source of speech.

Open 言 →
Appears in
Religion & Belief

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