Dictionary › 禅

禅

chán

Character Traditional 禪

What 禅 means

1. dhyana (Sanskrit)
2. Zen
3. meditation (Buddhism)

Other readings

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

• shànto abdicate

Words starting with 禅

• 禅师chán shīhonorific title for a Buddhist monk
• 禅宗Chán zōngZen Buddhism
• 禅位shàn wèito abdicate (as king)
• 禅修chán xiūto practice Zen (esp. meditation)
• 禅堂chán tángmeditation room (in Buddhist monastery)
• 禅房chán fánga room in a Buddhist monastery; a temple
• 禅杖chán zhàngthe staff of a Buddhist monk
• 禅林chán lína Buddhist temple
• 禅机chán jīBuddhist allegorical word or gesture; subtleties of Buddhist doctrine
• 禅让shàn ràngto abdicate
• 禅院chán yuànBuddhist hall
• 禅城区Chán chéng QūChancheng, a district of Foshan City 佛山市
• 禅门五宗Chán mén wǔ zōngthe five schools of Chan Buddhism
• 禅城Chán chéngsee 禅城区

Words containing 禅

• 口头禅kǒu tóu chánZen saying repeated as cant; (fig.) catchphrase; mantra; favorite expression; stock phrase
• 班禅Bān chánPanchen (Lama); abbr. for 班禅额尔德尼
• 参禅cān chánto practice Chan Buddhist meditation; to practice Zen meditation; to sit in meditation
• 刘禅Liú ShànLiu Shan (207-271), son of Liu Bei, reigned as Shu Han emperor 233-263…
• 受禅shòu shànto accept abdication
• 坐禅zuò chánto sit in meditation; to meditate
• 封禅fēng shàn(of an emperor) to pay homage to Heaven at Mount Tai and to Earth at Mount Liangfu
• 打禅dǎ chánto meditate (of Buddhist)
• 野狐禅yě hú chánheresy
• 永贞内禅Yǒng zhēn nèi shànYongzhen abdication of 805
• 班禅喇嘛Bān chán Lǎ maPanchen Lama
• 班禅额尔德尼Bān chán É ěr dé níPanchen Erdeni or Panchen Lama; abbr. to 班禅
• 褒禅山Bāo chán ShānMt Baochan in Anhui; formerly known as Mt Hua 华山

Characters built on 单

These share the phonetic component 单 (dān), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 弹dàncrossball; bullet; shot
• 阐chǎnto express; to disclose; to enlighten
• 惮dàndread; fear; dislike
• 掸dǎnto brush away; to dust off; brush
• 蝉cháncicada
• 郸dānused in place names 邯郸
• 殚dānentirely; to exhaust
• 婵chánused in 婵娟

Characters that look like 禅

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

• 棒bàngstick; club; cudgel
• 梯tī(bound form) ladder; stairs
• 裸luǒnaked
• 惮dàndread; fear; dislike
• 掸dǎnto brush away; to dust off; brush
• 榉jǔZeikowa acuminata

Sounds the same

Read chán, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 缠to wind around; to wrap round; to coil
• 馋gluttonous; greedy; to have a craving
• 澶still (as of water); still water
• 蝉cicada
• 单used in 单于
• 婵used in 婵娟
• 蟾toad ("chán" represents the sound of its croaking)…
• 谗to slander; to defame; to misrepresent
• 潺flow; trickle (of water)
• 巉(literary) steep; rugged; jagged; precipitous
• 毚cunning; artful
• 磛cliff; peak