梵 (fàn) — (bound form) Sanskrit; relating to the Sanskrit language or script; (bound form) Buddhist; relating to Buddhism, especially its Indian roots
Definition
Bound form meaning 'Sanskrit' or 'Buddhist (of Indian origin)' — almost always appears as a prefix, e.g. 梵文 (Sanskrit), 梵刹 (Buddhist temple). It is not used alone as a standalone word.
bound form
Sanskritrelating to the Sanskrit language or scriptBuddhistrelating to Buddhismespecially its Indian roots
Examples
- ，。Tā zhèng zài xué xí fàn wén, nà shì gǔ dài yìn dù de yǔ yán.He is studying Sanskrit, which is the ancient Indian language.
- 。Zhè zuò sì miào lǐ bǎo cún zhe zhēn guì de fàn wén jīng diǎn.This temple preserves precious Sanskrit scriptures.
- 梵。fàn Chà shì fó jiào sēng lǚ xiū xíng de chǎng suǒ.A Buddhist temple is a place for monks to practice.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
梵 is built from 林, a forest, and 凡, which gives the sound; the forest part shows the early meaning 'lush.'
Appears in
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