芸芸众生 (yùn yún zhòng shēng) — (Buddhist) all living beings; (figurative) the masses, ordinary people

Definition

A Buddhist term for 'all living beings,' now also used figuratively to mean ordinary people, often with a sense of their many and insignificant nature. A more literary and elevated expression than 普通人 or 老百姓.

noun
(Buddhist) all living beings(figurative) the massesordinary people

Examples

  • ，芸芸众生。
    Fó jīng lǐ shuō, yùn yún zhòng shēng dōu shì píng děng de.
    The Buddhist scriptures say that all living beings are equal.
  • ，芸芸众生。
    Zài zhè ge dà chéng shì lǐ, yùn yún zhòng shēng dōu zài wèi shēng huó máng lù.
    In this big city, the masses are all busy making a living.
  • 芸芸众生，。
    yùn yún zhòng shēng Zhōng, měi gè rén dōu yǒu zì jǐ de gù shi.
    Among all living beings, everyone has their own story.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 眾; 众 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 眾 shows three people under a sun-like shape, meaning a crowd gathered under the sun; the simplified 众 is a later shorthand.

Open 众 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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