菩 (pú) — used in 菩萨 (bodhisattva) and 菩提 (bodhi)
Definition
Bound form used only in Buddhist terms — chiefly 菩萨 (bodhisattva) and 菩提 (bodhi / enlightenment). It has no standalone meaning and never appears by itself.
bound form
used in 菩萨 (bodhisattva) and 菩提 (bodhi)
Examples
- 。Tā měi tiān niàn pú sà de míng zì.He recites the bodhisattva's name every day.
- 。pú Tí shù xià de xiū xíng zhě hěn duō.There are many practitioners under the bodhi tree.
- 。Fó jiào zhōng pú sà shì jué wù de xiàng zhēng.In Buddhism, the bodhisattva is a symbol of enlightenment.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu菩
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
菩 is made from 艹 (grass) and 咅, which gives the sound.
Appears in
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