Chinese word

佛

Pronunciation

Pinyinfó

Meaning

  • nounBuddha

Example

我们去看佛像。wǒ men qù kàn fó xiàng

We are going to see a statue of the Buddha.

Illustration for 佛 (Buddha)

More examples

寺里供奉着一尊佛，人们来此参拜。sì lǐ gòng fèng zhe yì zūn fú rén men lái cǐ cān bài

A statue of the Buddha is enshrined in the temple, and people come here to worship.

Core concept

A person who sees beyond ordinary troubles and remains calm while helping others find understanding.

Common phrases

  • 佛教fó jiào

    Buddhism

  • 佛经fó jīng

    Buddhist sutra

  • 佛像fó xiàng

    statue of the Buddha

Definition in Chinese

在佛教语境中指觉悟并教化众生的人，常指释迦牟尼等佛陀，口语中亦可用来形容人对世事的超然或不太在意的态度。zài fó jiào yǔ jìng zhōng zhǐ jué wù bìng jiào huà zhòng shēng de rén cháng zhǐ shì jiā mù ní děng fó tuó kóu yǔ zhōng yì kě yòng lái xíng róng rén duì shì shì de chāo rán huò bú tài zài yì de tài dù

Word origin

佛 (fó, "Buddha") entered Chinese through 佛陀 (fótuó, "Buddha"), a transcription of Sanskrit buddha, "awakened one"; the shorter form became a title for figures such as Shakyamuni.

Usage tips

  • English usually treats this term as a religious title or name, whereas everyday Chinese can use it as a descriptive label, so context determines its register.

Other meanings

  • Shakyamuninoun

Opposites

  • 凡人fán réncommon personnoun
  • 世俗shì súthe secular worldnoun

Related words

  • 佛教徒fó jiào túBuddhistnoun
  • 佛经fó jīngBuddhist sutranoun

Word lists with this word