Dictionary › 斋

斋

zhāi

Character Traditional 齋

What 斋 means

1. to fast or abstain from meat, wine etc
2. vegetarian diet
3. study room
4. building
5. to give alms (to a monk)

Other readings

斋 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• zhāiold variant of {斋|zhāi}

Example sentences

• 我很喜欢斋月。
  Wǒ hěn xǐhuan Zhāiyuè.
  I love the month of Ramadan.

Words starting with 斋

• 斋戒zhāi jièto observe a religious fast; to abstain from food or certain activities before a ritual
• 斋月Zhāi yuèRamadan (Islam)
• 斋堂zhāi tángdining hall in a Buddhist temple
• 斋教Zhāi jiàoZhaijiao sect of Buddhism
• 斋期zhāi qīfasting days; a fast
• 斋果zhāi guǒ(religious) offerings
• 斋祭zhāi jìto offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors) whilst abstaining from meat, wine etc
• 斋藤Zhāi téngSaitō (Japanese surname)
• 斋饭zhāi fànfood given to Buddhist monks as alms
• 斋戒节Zhāi jiè jiéfestival of fasting (esp. Eid al-Fitr)

Words containing 斋

• 书斋shū zhāistudy (room)
• 化斋huà zhāito beg for food (of monks)
• 吃斋chī zhāito abstain from eating meat; to be a vegetarian
• 大斋dà zhāito fast; to abstain from food
• 守斋shǒu zhāito fast
• 封斋fēng zhāifast (in several religions); Ramadan (Islam); see also 斋月
• 打斋dǎ zhāito beg for (vegetarian) food
• 素斋sù zhāivegetarian food
• 开斋kāi zhāito stop following a vegetarian diet; to break a fast
• 大斋期dà zhāi qīLent (Christian period of forty days before Easter)
• 大斋节dà zhāi jiégreat fast; Christian lent
• 封斋节fēng zhāi jiéLent
• 开斋节Kāi zhāi jié(Islam) Eid al-Fitr, festival that marks the end of Ramadan
• 聊斋志异Liáo zhāi Zhì yìStrange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Qing dynasty book of tales by 蒲松龄
• 四旬斋sì xún zhāiLent (Christian period of forty days before Easter)
• 大开斋Dà kāi zhāisee 开斋节

Characters that look like 斋

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 面miànface; side; surface
• 亲qīnparent; one's own (flesh and blood); relative
• 泰tàisafe; peaceful; most
• 毫háohair; drawing brush; (in the) least
• 圈quāncircle; ring; loop; (fig.) social circle; niche group; community; fandom…
• 圃pǔgarden; orchard

Sounds the same

Read zhāi, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 摘to take; to pick (flowers, fruit etc); to pluck; to remove…
• 侧lean on one side