僧

sēng

亻 + 曾

Definitions

sēng (noun) Buddhist monk

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 曾 represents the sound.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 曾

About

僧 is a phonosemantic compound, with 亻 (the 'person' radical) on the left providing the meaning and 曾 (céng) on the right providing the sound. It was coined to transliterate the Sanskrit term Sangha, which originally denoted the Buddhist monastic order as a whole. Subsequently, the character's meaning narrowed from the collective community to a single Buddhist monk. The phonetic element 曾, meaning 'once' or 'already', was chosen solely to match the first syllable of Sangha and has no semantic connection to the concept.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

那位僧人在念佛。

Nà wèi sēngrén zài niàn fó.

That monk is chanting Buddha's name.

僧侣们每天打坐。

Sēnglǚ men měi tiān dǎzuò.

The monks meditate every day.

这位年轻僧人来自西藏。

Zhè wèi niánqīng sēngrén lái zì Xīzàng.

This young monk comes from Tibet.

寺庙里的僧人经常帮助穷人。

Sìmiào lǐ de sēngrén jīngcháng bāngzhù qióngrén.

The monks in the temple often help the poor.

那位高僧讲解佛经很透彻。

Nà wèi gāosēng jiǎngjiě fójīng hěn tòuchè.

That eminent monk explains Buddhist scriptures very thoroughly.

僧人们在山中闭关修炼。

Sēngrén men zài shān zhōng bìguān xiūliàn.

The monks are in retreat in the mountains for practice.

据说这位僧人有神奇的医术。

Jùshuō zhè wèi sēngrén yǒu shénqí de yīshù.

It is said that this monk has miraculous medical skills.

为了寻求真理，他决定出家为僧。

Wèile xúnqiú zhēnlǐ, tā juédìng chūjiā wéi sēng.

In order to seek the truth, he decided to become a monk.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 曾

僧