庵

菴

ān

奄 + 广

Definitions

ān hut; small temple; nunnery

ān variant of 庵[ān]

Etymology

A building 广 where people remain 奄; 奄 also provides the pronunciation

About

The character 庵 combines 广 (house/shelter) with 奄 (yǎn, "to remain"), which also provides the pronunciation. It originally referred to a small, simple, often round-thatched hut used as a secluded retreat by scholars, hermits, or monks. Over time, the meaning narrowed to modest religious buildings, particularly Buddhist nunneries or small temples for female monastics. The structure "building where one remains" reflects its purpose as a quiet dwelling.

Etymology Hide

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

山脚下有一座庵。

Shānjiǎo xià yǒu yī zuò ān.

There is a small Buddhist convent at the foot of the mountain.

那个老尼姑独自住在庵里。

Nàgè lǎo nígū dúzì zhù zài ān lǐ.

That old Buddhist nun lives alone in the convent.

这座古庵已经有三百年历史了。

Zhè zuò gǔ ān yǐjīng yǒu sānbǎi nián lìshǐ le.

This ancient convent has a history of three hundred years.

她年轻时曾在庵中带发修行。

Tā niánqīng shí céng zài ān zhōng dàifà xiūxíng.

When she was young, she practiced spiritual cultivation in a convent while keeping her hair.

翠竹林深处的茅庵十分清静。

Cuìzhú lín shēnchù de máo ān shífēn qīngjìng.

The thatched hut deep in the green bamboo forest is very quiet and peaceful.

这位画家隐居在乡野的草庵中创作。

Zhè wèi huàjiā yǐnjū zài xiāngyě de cǎo ān zhōng chuàngzuò.

This painter lives in seclusion and creates in a rustic cottage in the countryside.

旅行者偶然发现了半山腰的废弃石庵。

Lǚxíng zhě ǒurán fāxiàn le bànshānyāo de fèiqì shí ān.

The traveler accidentally discovered the abandoned stone hermitage on the mountainside.

庵堂虽小，却承载着一段厚重的历史记忆。

Āntáng suī xiǎo, què chéngzài zhe yī duàn hòuzhòng de lìshǐ jìyì.

Although the convent is small, it carries a significant piece of historical memory.

Related Characters

Component: 奄

Component: 广

庵