禅

2 readings · tap one to hear it

dhyana (Sanskrit); Zen; meditation (Buddhism)

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Formation & memory

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Ideographic compound (会意字)

To pray 礻 alone 单; 单 also provides the pronunciation

Components 礻单

meditation · Heisig RSH #2276

altar + 单 list

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
班禅额尔德尼	Bān chán É ěr dé ní	Panchen Erdeni or Panchen Lama; abbr. to 班禪\|班禅[Ban1 chan2]
口头禅	kǒu tóu chán	Zen saying repeated as cant; (fig.) catchphrase; mantra; favorite expression; stock phrase
禅城区	Chán chéng Qū	Chancheng, a district of Foshan City 佛山市[Fo2 shan1 Shi4], Guangdong
禅门五宗	Chán mén wǔ zōng	the five schools of Chan Buddhism
禅机	chán jī	Buddhist allegorical word or gesture; subtleties of Buddhist doctrine
打禅	dǎ chán	to meditate (of Buddhist)
禅城	Chán chéng	see 禪城區\|禅城区[Chan2 cheng2 Qu1]
禅林	chán lín	a Buddhist temple
禅位	shàn wèi	to abdicate (as king)
禅师	chán shī	honorific title for a Buddhist monk
禅房	chán fáng	a room in a Buddhist monastery; a temple
禅院	chán yuàn	Buddhist hall
受禅	shòu shàn	to accept abdication
班禅	Bān chán	Panchen (Lama); abbr. for 班禪額爾德尼\|班禅额尔德尼[Ban1 chan2 E2 er3 de2 ni2]
永贞内禅	Yǒng zhēn nèi shàn	Yongzhen abdication of 805
禅修	chán xiū	to practice Zen (esp. meditation)
禅堂	chán táng	meditation room (in Buddhist monastery)
坐禅	zuò chán	to sit in meditation; to meditate
禅宗	Chán zōng	Zen Buddhism
封禅	fēng shàn	(of an emperor) to pay homage to Heaven at Mount Tai and to Earth at Mount Liangfu