Definitions

(noun) Bodhisattva

Etymology

Simplified form of . Used in transliterations of Sanskrit words, such as "Bodhisattva" ().

About

The character "萨", which is the simplified form of the traditional character "薩", primarily serves as a phonetic loan character used in transliteration, most famously in the Buddhist term "菩萨" for bodhisattva. The traditional form "薩" is structurally composed of the grass radical (艹) positioned above a complex phonetic component, while the simplified "萨" reconstructs this lower element into the components 阝 and 产, a modification that streamlines its writing without altering its fundamental phonetic function. Initially created to approximate non-native sounds, particularly from Sanskrit, the character's application gradually broadened to include other transliterated personal and place names, maintaining its role as a sound-representing graph rather than acquiring independent semantic content.

Example Sentences Hide

是个美丽的城市。

Lā sà shì gè měi lì de chéng shì.

Lhasa is a beautiful city.

他喜欢吹克斯。

Tā xǐ huān chuī sà kè sī.

He likes playing the saxophone.

满是一种宗教。

Sà mǎn shì yī zhǒng zōng jiào.

Shamanism is a religion.

我喜欢吃其马。

Wǒ xǐ huān chī sà qí mǎ.

I like eating saqima.

的风景非常壮观。

Lā sà de fēng jǐng fēi cháng zhuàng guān.

The scenery in Lhasa is very spectacular.

省是加拿大的一个省份。

Sà shěng shì Jiā ná dà de yī gè shěng fèn.

Saskatchewan is a province in Canada.

克斯的音色很优美。

Sà kè sī de yīn sè hěn yōu měi.

The timbre of the saxophone is very beautiful.

满教在古代北方民族中很流行。

Sà mǎn jiào zài gǔ dài běi fāng mín zú zhōng hěn liú xíng.

Shamanism was popular among ancient northern ethnic groups.