禅 (chán) — (bound form) Zen, dhyana, meditation
Definition
禅 (chán) is a bound form: in 禅修/坐禅 it means Buddhist meditation; in 禅宗 it names the Zen school. Always combines with another character — it does not stand alone.
bound form
Zendhyanameditation
Examples
- 禅，。Tā měi tiān jiān chí chán xiū, xīn tài biàn de hěn píng jìng.He persists in meditation practice every day, and his mindset has become very calm.
- “，”。chán Zōng de jiào yì qiáng diào "bú lì wén zì, zhí zhǐ rén xīn".The teachings of the Zen school emphasize 'no reliance on words, directly pointing to the mind'.
- ，。Měi tiān qīng chén, tā dōu huì zài yuàn zi lǐ zuò chán.Every morning, he sits in meditation in the yard.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 禪; 禅 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
單
單dān禪chán
Same sound today
The traditional form 禪 pairs 示, a meaning part, with 單, a sound part; the simplified 禅 is a later abbreviation, so its right side is not the old sound part.
Appears in
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