皈

guī
反 + 白
Frequency#3660

Definitions

guī to comply with; to follow

Etymology

About

The character 皈 is a variant form of 歸, originally sharing its core meaning of "to return". Its structure combines the component 白, which may serve a phonetic or semantic role in this context, with 反, meaning "to turn over or return", directly indicating the concept of reversal or going back. Over time, 皈 became semantically specialized, almost exclusively used in Buddhist terminology to signify "to convert to" or "to take refuge in", as in the compound 皈依, meaning to devote oneself to the Buddhist faith. This represents a narrowing of meaning from the general act of returning to a specific spiritual and doctrinal return.

Example Sentences Hide

他皈依了佛教。

Tā guīyīle fójiào.

He converted to Buddhism.

她去年皈依了。

Tā qùnián guīyīle.

She converted last year.

我的哥哥皈依了基督教。

Wǒ de gēge guīyīle jīdūjiào.

My older brother converted to Christianity.

经过深思熟虑，他决定皈依。

Jīngguò shēnsī shúlǜ, tā juédìng guīyī.

After careful consideration, he decided to convert.

皈依佛教后，他的生活改变了。

Guīyī fójiào hòu, tā de shēnghuó gǎibiànle.

After converting to Buddhism, his life changed.

许多人皈依宗教是为了寻找内心的平静。

Xǔduō rén guīyī zōngjiào shì wèile xúnzhǎo nèixīn de píngjìng.

Many people convert to religion to seek inner peace.

在经历了一系列的人生挫折后，她最终皈依了佛法。

Zài jīnglìle yīxìliè de rénshēng cuòzhé hòu, tā zuìzhōng guīyīle fófǎ.

After experiencing a series of life setbacks, she finally converted to Buddhism.

虽然他的家人最初反对，但他仍然坚持皈依，并找到了心灵的归宿。

Suīrán tā de jiārén zuìchū fǎnduì, dàn tā réngrán jiānchí guīyī, bìng zhǎodàole xīnlíng de guīsù.

Although his family initially opposed, he still persisted in converting and found a spiritual home.

Related Characters

Component: 反

版 板 饭 返 叛 贩 扳 阪 坂 畈 舨 钣 飯 販

Component: 白

的 原 白 百 怕 皇 伯 迫 拍 皆 帕 柏 泉 泊

Example Words

皈依