元 yuán currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan) / (bound form) first / original / primary / (bound form) basic / fundamental / (bound form) constituent / part / (prefix) meta- / (math.) argument / variable / era (of a reign) / (Tw) (geology) eon syn 时光 時光 shí guāng time / era / period of time syn 年代 nián dài a decade of a century (e.g. the Sixties) / age / era / period / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 时代 時代 shí dài age / era / epoch / period (in one's life) / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 代 dài to be a substitute for / to act on behalf of / to replace / to substitute / generation / dynasty / age / period / (historical) era / (geological) eon syn 世 shì life / age / generation / era / world / lifetime / epoch / descendant / noble syn 现代 現代 xiàn dài modern times / modern age / modern era syn 时空 時空 shí kōng time and place / world of a particular locale and era / (physics) space-time syn 丛林 叢林 cóng lín jungle / thicket / forest / Buddhist monastery syn 雕塑 diāo sù a statue / a Buddhist image / sculpture / to carve 长老 長老 zhǎng lǎo elder / term of respect for a Buddhist monk syn 金刚 金剛 jīn gāng diamond / (used to translate Sanskrit "vajra", a thunderbolt or mythical weapon) / guardian deity (in Buddhist iconography) syn 和尚 hé shang Buddhist monk syn 当代 當代 dāng dài the present age / the contemporary era syn 公元前 gōng yuán qián BCE (before the Common Era) / BC (before Christ) 佛祖 fó zǔ Buddha / founder of a buddhist sect 公元 gōng yuán CE (Common Era) / Christian Era / AD (Anno Domini) syn 觉悟 覺悟 jué wù to come to understand / to realize / consciousness / awareness / Buddhist enlightenment (Sanskrit: cittotpāda) syn 世代 shì dài for many generations / generation / era / age syn 一世 yī shì generation / period of 30 years / one's whole lifetime / lifelong / age / era / times / the whole world / the First (of numbered European kings) syn 佛教徒 fó jiào tú Buddhist 天竺 tiān zhú the Indian subcontinent (esp. in Tang or Buddhist context) 尼姑 ní gū Buddhist nun syn 苦海 kǔ hǎi lit. sea of bitterness / abyss of worldly suffering (Buddhist term) / depths of misery syn 民国 民國 mín guó Republic of China (1912-1949) / used in Taiwan as the name of the calendar era (e.g. 民國六十年|民国六十年 is 1971, the 60th year after 1911) 飞天 飛天 fēi tiān flying Apsara (Buddhist art) 顿悟 頓悟 dùn wù a flash of realization / the truth in a flash / a moment of enlightenment (usually Buddhist) syn 圣贤 聖賢 shèng xián a sage / wise and holy man / virtuous ruler / Buddhist lama / wine syn 佛像 fó xiàng Buddhist image / statue of Buddha or Bodhisattva / CL:尊[zun1], 張|张[zhang1] syn 新纪元 新紀元 xīn jì yuán new era / new epoch syn 法宝 法寶 fǎ bǎo Buddha's teaching / Buddhist monk's apparel, staff etc / (Daoism) magic weapon / talisman / fig. specially effective device / magic wand syn 沙门 沙門 shā mén monk (Sanskrit: Sramana, originally refers to north India) / Buddhist monk syn 昭和 zhāo hé Shōwa, Japanese era name, corresponding to the reign (1925-1989) of emperor Hirohito 裕仁[Yu4 ren2] 因缘 因緣 yīn yuán chance / opportunity / predestined relationship / (Buddhist) principal and secondary causes / chain of cause and effect syn 明治 míng zhì Meiji, Japanese era name, corresponding to the reign (1868-1912) of the Meiji emperor 醍醐灌顶 醍醐灌頂 tí hú guàn dǐng lit. to anoint your head with the purest cream (idiom) / fig. to enlighten people with perfect wisdom / flawless Buddhist teaching syn 取经 取經 qǔ jīng to journey to India on a quest for the Buddhist scriptures / to learn by studying another's experience 念经 念經 niàn jīng to recite or chant Buddhist scripture syn 住持 zhù chí to administer a monastery Buddhist or Daoist / abbot / head monk syn 大殿 dà diàn main hall of a Buddhist temple 护法 護法 hù fǎ to keep the law / to protect Buddha's teachings / protector of Buddhist law (i.e. temple donor) 衣钵 衣缽 yī bō the cassock and alms bowl of a Buddhist master passed on to the favorite disciple (Buddhism) / legacy / mantle 禅师 禪師 chán shī honorific title for a Buddhist monk syn 法衣 fǎ yī robe of a Buddhist priest / ceremonial garment of a Daoist priest / robe of a judge, nun, priest etc / cassock / vestment syn 佛经 佛經 fó jīng Buddhist texts / Buddhist scripture syn 道场 道場 dào chǎng Taoist or Buddhist rite / abbr. for 菩提道場|菩提道场[Pu2 ti2 dao4 chang3] syn 纪元 紀元 jì yuán calendar era / epoch syn 佛法 fó fǎ Dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) / Buddhist doctrine syn 佛学 佛學 fó xué Buddhist doctrine / Buddhist studies 布施 bù shī Dana (Buddhist practice of giving) syn 方丈 fāng zhang square zhang (i.e. unit of area 10 feet square) / monastic room 10 feet square / Buddhist or Daoist abbot / abbot's chamber syn 佛寺 fó sì Buddhist temple syn 剃度 tì dù to take the tonsure / to shave the head / tonsure (shaved head of Buddhist monk) syn 元年 yuán nián first year of an emperor's reign / first year of an era / first year of a significant time period 石窟 shí kū rock cave / grotto / cliff caves (often with Buddhist statues) 古刹 古剎 gǔ chà old Buddhist temple 纪年 紀年 jì nián to number the years / calendar era / annals / chronicle 督军 督軍 dū jūn provincial military governor during the early Republic of China era (1911-1949 AD) syn 舍利 shè lì ashes after cremation / Buddhist relics (Sanskirt: sarira) 佛家 fó jiā Buddhism / Buddhist 三昧 sān mèi Samadhi (Buddhist term) syn 三藏 sān zàng Tripitaka, the three main types of text that collectively constitute the Buddhist canon of scriptures: sutras, commandments and commentaries 正殿 zhèng diàn main hall of a Buddhist temple 佛爷 佛爺 fó ye Buddha (term of respect for Sakyamuni 釋迦牟尼|释迦牟尼[Shi4 jia1 mou2 ni2]) / His Holiness (refers to a Buddhist grandee) / Buddha / God / emperor / in late Qing court, refers exclusively to Empress Dowager Cixi 慈禧太后[Ci2 xi3 tai4 hou4] syn 年号 年號 nián hào reign title / era name (name for either the entire reign of an emperor or one part of it) / year number (such as 2016 or 甲子) 香客 xiāng kè Buddhist pilgrim / Buddhist worshipper 法号 法號 fǎ hào name in religion (of Buddhist or Daoist within monastery) 禅房 禪房 chán fáng a room in a Buddhist monastery / a temple syn 佛龛 佛龕 fó kān niche for statue (esp. Buddhist, Christian etc) 说法 說法 shuō fǎ to expound Buddhist teachings syn 好事 hǎo shì good action, deed, thing or work (also sarcastic, "a fine thing indeed") / charity / happy occasion / Daoist or Buddhist ceremony for the souls of the dead syn 工分 gōng fēn work point (measure of work completed in a rural commune in the PRC during the planned economy era) syn 中国特色社会主义 中國特色社會主義 zhōng guó tè sè shè huì zhǔ yì socialism with Chinese characteristics, phrase introduced by the CCP in 1986 to refer to its ideological model, embracing the economic reforms of the post-Mao era 大雄 dà xióng great hero / main Buddhist image (in temple) 西元 xī yuán (Tw) Christian era / Gregorian calendar / AD (Anno Domini) 都督 dū dū (army) commander-in-chief (archaic) / provincial military governor and civil administrator during the early Republic of China era (1911-1949 AD) 无我 無我 wú wǒ anatta (Buddhist concept of "non-self") 南无 南無 nā mó Buddhist salutation or expression of faith (loanword from Sanskrit) / Taiwan pr. [na2 mo2] 比丘 bǐ qiū Buddhist monk (loanword from Sanskrit "bhiksu") 九华山 九華山 jiǔ huá shān Mount Jiuhua in Anhui, scenic tourist site, and one of the four famous Buddhist mountains 出家人 chū jiā rén monk / nun (Buddhist or Daoist) syn 济公 濟公 jì gōng Jigong or Daoji (1130-1207), Southern Song Dynasty Buddhist monk 袈裟 jiā shā kasaya (robe of a Buddhist monk or nun) (loanword from Sanskrit) syn 法会 法會 fǎ huì (Buddhist) religious assembly 梵天 fàn tiān Nirvana (in Buddhist scripture) / Lord Brahma (the Hindu Creator) 玄奘 xuán zàng Xuanzang (602-664), Tang dynasty Buddhist monk and translator who traveled to India 629-645 普贤 普賢 pǔ xián Samantabhadra, the Buddhist Lord of Truth 须弥 須彌 xū mí Mt Meru or Sumeru, sacred mountain in Buddhist and Jain tradition / Mt Xumi in Guyuan 固原[Gu4 yuan2], Ningxia, with many Buddhist cave statues 大正 dà zhèng Taishō, Japanese era name, corresponding to the reign (1912-1926) of emperor Yoshihito 嘉仁[Jia1 ren2] 新石器时代 新石器時代 xīn shí qì shí dài Neolithic Era 舍利子 shè lì zi ashes after cremation / Buddhist relics (Sanskirt: sarira) 沙弥 沙彌 shā mí novice Buddhist monk syn 扁鹊 扁鵲 biǎn què 秦越人[Qin2 Yue4 ren2] (407-310 BC), Warring States physician known for his medical skills, nicknamed Bian Que after the earliest known Chinese physician allegedly from the 黃帝|黄帝[Huang2 di4] era 圆寂 圓寂 yuán jì death / to pass away (of Buddhist monks, nuns etc) syn 禅院 禪院 chán yuàn Buddhist hall 秃驴 禿驢 tū lǘ (derog.) Buddhist monk 大昭寺 dà zhāo sì Jokhang, main Buddhist temple in Lhasa, a sacred place of Tibetan Buddhism 参禅 參禪 cān chán to practice Chan Buddhist meditation / to practice Zen meditation / to sit in meditation 弘法 hóng fǎ to propagate Buddhist teachings 