佛陀 (Fó tuó) — Buddha (the enlightened being, founder of Buddhism); (slang) pickpocket

Definition

Honorific Buddhist term for 'the Buddha' (literally 'enlightened one'). In modern slang it also means 'pickpocket,' used as a tease because Buddha's statue pose mimics a hand-on-bag move.

noun
Buddha (the enlightened being, founder of Buddhism)(slang) pickpocket

Examples

  • ，佛陀。
    Tā shì yí wèi qián chéng de fó jiào tú, měi tiān dōu huì xiàng Fó tuó qí dǎo.
    He is a devout Buddhist who prays to the Buddha every day.
  • 佛陀，。
    Xiǎo xīn nà ge Fó tuó, tā zhuān mén zài rén qún zhōng tōu dōng xi.
    Be careful of that pickpocket; he specializes in stealing in crowds.
  • 佛陀。
    Fó tuó De jiào huì yǐng xiǎng le wú shù rén.
    The teachings of the Buddha have influenced countless people.

Origin

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 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 陀 →

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