Chinese-English Buddhist Dictionary

By Dharma Master Míng Bǎo

1. ā ē ī ō ū ǖ Ā Ē Ī Ō Ū Ǖ

2. The second tone (rising or high-rising tone) is denoted by an acute accent (ˊ): á é í ó ú ǘ Á É Í Ó Ú Ǘ

3. The third tone (falling-rising or low tone) is marked by a caron/háček (ˇ). It is not the rounded breve (˘), though a breve is sometimes substituted due to ignorance or font limitations. ǎ ě ǐ ǒ ǔ ǚ Ǎ Ě Ǐ Ǒ Ǔ Ǚ

4. The fourth tone (falling or high-falling tone) is represented by a grave accent (ˋ): à è ì ò ù ǜ À È Ì Ò Ù Ǜ

5. The fifth tone (neutral tone) is represented by a normal vowel without any accent mark: a e i o u ü A E I O U Ü

Pīnyīn ​	Hànyǔ ​ 中 国 话	English
A, Ǎ, Ā, Ā,	Ǎ, á, à, ā, ǎ
Āchùrúlái	阿閦如來	Akshobya Buddha
Āhán,	阿含	Theravada-scriptures
Ālàiyēshí	阿賴耶識	Alayavijnana
Ài	愛	Craving/Tṛṣṇā
Àixīn​	爱心	Compassion
Āmítuófó	阿彌陀	Amithaba Buddha
Ān	安	Calm
Ān	庵	Nunnery
Ān	盦	Cloister
Ānòuduōluó/Wǔshàng	阿耨多羅	Unsurpassed
Ānòuduōluó Sānmiǎosānpútí	阿耨多罗三藐三菩提	Unsurpassed Enlightenment
Āpídámó	阿毘達磨	Abhidharma
Amida		Short for Amithaba
Ānhuī	安徽	District in China
Āluóhàn	阿羅漢	Arhat
Āshélí	阿闍梨	Teacher
Āyēshí	阿頼耶識	Storehouse conciousness
B
Báimǎ Sì	白马寺	White Horse Temple
Bǎi​ Lín​ Chán Sí	赵州塔	Cypress Tree Monastery
Bǎizhàng Huáihái	百丈懷海	(720-814)
Bǎizhàng Qīngguī	百丈清規	Pure rules of B.
Bǎn	板	Wooden Board
Bǎo	宝	Treasure
Bāzhèngdào	八正道	Noble 8-fold Path
Bǎoshēngfó	寶生佛	Ratnasambhava
Bēi	碑	Stele
Běi	北	North
Běijīng	北京	The Capital
Bìguān	壁觀	Wall-gazing
Bìzhī Fó	辟支佛	Pratyeka Buddha
Bǐ Qiū	比丘	Bhiksu/Monk
Bǐqiūní	比丘尼	Bikhshuni/Nun
Bōluómìduō	波羅蜜多	Pāramitā
Bōnièpán	般涅槃	Parinirvāṇa
Bōrě	智慧	Prajñā/Wisdom
Bō rěbōluómì	般若波羅蜜多	Prajñāpāramitā
Bù Hài	不害	Non-vilolence
Bùjīng	部經	Nikaya
Bùshī	布施	Dana/Giving
C
Cáng	藏	To store
Cáodòng-Zōng	曹洞宗	Sect
Cáo Shān Běnjì	曹山本纪	840-901
Cáo Xī	曹溪	Location of 6th Patriarchs temple
Ci	慈	Loving-kindness
Chán	禅	Zen
Chánna	禪那	Zenna
Chán Shī	禅師	Chán master
Chán Táng	禪堂	Meditation Hall
Chúan Chéng	傳承	Lineage
Chūjiā	出家	Going forth
Chūshì	出世	Renunciation
D
Dà	大	Large
Dà Āmítuófó Jīng	大阿彌陀经	Larger Amithaba Sutra
Dàchéngjiù,	大成就	Mahāsiddha
Dàjiàn Huìnéng	大鑒惠能	638-713
Dámó	达摩	Bodhidharma
Daman Hóng Rěn	??弘忍	601-674
Dānxiá Shān	丹霞山	Red Glow Mountains in Shaoguan
Dào	道	Road/Path/Truth
Dàodì	道諦	Path out of Dukha
Dá Rí Rù Lài Fó,	大日如來	Vairocana Buddha (1)
Dàshèng	大乘	Mahāyāna
Dà shī fu	大師傅	Grand Master
Dàshéng Qǐxìn Lùn	大乘起信論	Awakening of Faith in Mahayana
Dàshŏuyìn	大手印	Mahāmudrā
Dàyī Dào Xìn	大一 道信	580-651
Dàzǔ Huìkě	大祖慧可	487–593
Déshān Xuānjiàn	德山宣鑒	780-865
Diǎnzuò	典座	Chef/Cook
Dìyù	地獄	Naraka-hell
Dōng Shān	洞山	East Mountain
Dòngshān Liángjiè	洞山良价	807-869
Dōng Shān Si	洞山寺	East Mountain Temple
Dúcān	獨參	Dokusan/ Intervju
Dùdié	度牒	Monks certificate
Dùn Huáng	敦煌	A Place
Dùnwù Zōng	顿悟宗	Sudden School/Sect
E	Ē ě é, è
ĒmítuóFó	阿彌陀	Variant of Amitofo
F
Fă	法	Teaching/Dharma
Fǎjì	法纪	Rules/Vinaya
Fǎjù Jīng	法句经	Dhammapada
Fǎlún	法輪	Dharma-wheel
Fāngbiàn	方便	Expedient means
Fă Sí	法嗣	Dharma Heir
Fàn-tóu	饭頭	Head chef (Rice manager)
Fǎ Xiǎn	法跣	337 – c. 422
Fǎ Yǎn	法龑	? - ?
Fó	佛	Buddha
Fó Fǎ	佛法	Buddha Dharma
Fójiào	佛教	Buddhism
Fótúdéng/Buddhacinga	佛图澄	232–348
Fóqī	佛七	Retreat/7 Buddhas
Fóxìng	佛性	Buddha-nature
Fújìan	福建	Region
Fó Jīng	佛經	Buddhist scripture
G
Gōng	功	Meritorious deed
Gōng-Àn	公案	Public Case
Gōng Dé	功徳	Merit
Guǎngdōng	广东	City
Guǎngzhōu	广州	District/Canton
Guānyīn	觀音	Bodhisattva
Guān Shì Yīn	觀世音	Ven. Form –“-
Guī Yǎng Zōng	潙仰宗	Sect
Guīfēng Zōngmì	圭峰宗密	780-841
Guishan Língyòu	潙 山伶佑	771–854
Guīyī	歸依	Refuge
H
Hánshān	寒山	9th Century
Hānshān Déqīng	憨山德清	1546-1623
Hángzhōu​ Tiānlóng	杭州天龙	9th Century
Hàn Wǔ dì​	汉武帝	The Yellow Emperor 141-87 BC
Hànyǔ	汉语	The Peoples language
Hé Shàng	和尚	Oshō/Monk
Héshí	合十	Reverend Greeting
Hézé Shenhui	菏泽神會/神会	684-758
Hóng Rěn	弘忍	601-674
Hóngzhōu Zōng	洪州宗	Sect
Hūa	花	Lotus
Huángbò Xīyùn	黄檗希运	?-850
Huángméi	黄梅	East Mountain
Xuān Huà	宣化	1918-1995
Huà Tóu	话头	Word-root
Huà Wěi	话尾	Word-tail
Huáyán	华严	Sect
Huáyán Jīng	华严经	Avatamsaka Sūtra
Hùfǎ	護法	Fearsome protector
Huì Néng	惠能	638-713
Húnán	湖南	Province
I	Ī, í, ì, ǐ​
Ino (Jap.)	維那	Karmadana
J
Jiāyè Fó	迦葉佛	Kāśyapa Buddha
Jiànzhì Sēngcàn	鑑智僧璨	496-606
Jiànxìng	見性	Kensho/Awakening
Jiāshā	袈裟	Kesa/Monks cloak
Jídì	集諦	Truth of the origin of Duḥkha
Jiè	尸羅	Moral Rules
Jiětuō	解脱	Liberation
Jīng	經	Sūtra
Jīng	经	Scripture
Jīngcáng	經藏	Sūtra Pitaka
Jǐng​ Huì Lǎo​-Hé	净慧老和	1940-2013
Jīngāng Shèng	金剛乘	Vajrayana
Jìngtǔ Zōng	净土宗	Pure Land Sect
Jìnshìnán	近事男	Upāsaka (Male)
Jìnshìnǚ	近事女	Upāsikā (Female)
Jiū Pán Tú	鳩槃荼	Small ugly spirit
Juéxìng	覚性	Buddha-nature
Jūliúsūn Fó	拘留孙佛	Krakkucchanda Buddha
Jūnàhán Fó	拘那含佛	Koṇāgamana Buddha
Jùzhī Yīzhǐ	俱胝一指	9th Century
K
Kàng	亢	Above-
Kè	溘	Sudden
Kōng	空	”Emptiness”
Kōng Xíng Mǚ​	空行女	Dakini
Kǔ	苦	Duḥkha
Kǔdì	苦諦	Truth of Duḥkha
L
Là bā zhōu​	腊八粥	Rice Porrige
Lǎng	朗	Clear
Lǎo Zǐ	老子	Ca 500 B.C.
Lè	樂	Bliss
(Shǒu-)léngyán jīng	大佛頂首楞嚴經)	Śūraṅgama Sūtra
L ǐ ​	理	Principle
Liáng Wǔdi	梁武帝	502-549
Línjì Yìxuán	臨濟義玄	?-866
Línjì-Zōng	臨濟宗	Línjì-Sect/Rinzai
Lóngshù Púsà	龙树菩萨	Nagarjuna
Zhōngguān Pài	中観派	Mādhyamaka
Lúnhúi	輪迴	Rebirth/Saṃsāra
Luòyáng	洛阳	City
Lǜnzàng	律藏	Vinaya Pitaka
M
Màn	慢	Arrogance
Màntúluó	曼荼羅	Mandala
Māzŭ Dàoyī	馬祖道	708-788
Mièdì	滅諦	Truth of the end of Duḥkha
Mílè Fó	彌勒佛	Maitreya Buddha
Míng Bǎo	明寶	1949-Still
Mí tuó ​	弥陀	Abr. For Amithaba
Mi Zōng	密宗	Esoteric Buddhism
Mó Jìng	魔境	Distractions
Móhē Zhǐguān	摩訶止観	Calm & Insight meditation
Mòfǎ	末法	Dharma ending age
Mònàshí	末那識	7th Consciousness
Mòzhào	默照	Only Sitting
Mùyú	木魚	Wooden Fish Drum
N
Nānmò ĒmítuóFó	南無阿彌陀	A Mantra
Nán	南	Sothhern
Nánhuá	南华	South China
Nánhuá Sì	南华 寺	Monastery
Nán jīng	南京	A City
Nányuè Huáiràng	南嶽懐譲
Nánmó	南無	Namo
Nánquán Pǔyuàn	南泉普願	749-835
Néngliàng	能量	Energy/Virya
Niàn	念	Now! Direct!
Nièpán	涅槃	Nirvana
Niú Toú Fǎróng	牛頭法融,	Founder of Oxhead sect 594-657
Niú Toú Zōng	牛头宗	Oxhead-sect
O	Ō, ō, ó, ò, ŏ,
P
Páng Jūshì	龐居士	Layman Páng
Pílúzhēnàfó	毗盧遮那佛	Vairocana Buddha (2)
Pīn yīn	拼音	Chinese Romanisation
Pú Sà	菩萨	Bodhisattva
Pútí	菩提	Enlightenment
Pútíshù	菩提樹	Bodhi-tree
Pútíxīn	菩提心	Bodhicitta
Púsà	菩薩	Bodhisattva
Q
Qī	七	7
Qì	气/氣	Life Energy
Qìgōng	氣功	Martial Art
Qīngshuǐ	清水	1047-1101
Qīxiá Sì	栖霞寺	A Temple
Qì Yī	氣一	538-597
Qǔ	取	9th link/Nidana
R
Rándēng Fo	燃燈佛	Dipankara Buddha
Rèn	人	Human
Rěn Rǔ	忍辱	(Withstand)
Ruìdiǎn​	瑞典	Sweden
Rú Lái Fó	如来佛	Vairoçanā Buddha
Rú shì ​	如是	Thus/Således (har jag hört)
S
Sān	三	3
Sānbăo	三寶	3 Juwels
Sāndú	三毒	3 Poisons
Sānlùnzōng	三論宗	3 Treatise Sect
Sān Mèi	三昧	Samādhi
Sānshēn	三身	3 Bodies of Buddha
Sānshí	三時	3 Periods
Sānzàng	三藏	3 Baskets (Tripiṭaka)
Sēng	僧	Munk/Sangha
Sēng​ Huò Chán	僧获禅	“Meditation In Daily Life”
Sēngcàn	僧璨	496-606
Sēng Sú	僧俗	Layman
Sēng Tuan	僧團	Saṅgha/Fellowship
Shāmí	沙弥	Novice Monk
Shāmínī​,	沙弥妮	Novice Nun
Sh ān	山	Mountain
Shànghǎi	上海	A City
Shàngzuòbù	上座部	Theravāda
Shānxī	山西	A Province
Sháoguān	韶关	A City
Shàólín Sí	少林寺	A Monastery
Shěmótā	舍摩他	Śamatha/Calm
Shǐ de	使得	9th Century
Shī	師	Master/Teacher
Shīfu	師傅	Ven. Master/Teacher
Shítóu Xīqiān	石頭希遷	700-790
Shìqīn	世親	Vasubandhu
Shì Zhě	侍者	Attendant
Shou Jie	受戒	Refuge
Shǔ Guó	蜀国	Sichuan
Sì	寺	Temple/Monastery
Sì Dì Fǎ/Sìshèngdì	四聖諦	4 Noble Truths
Sìchuān	四川	State in SE China
Sòng Dài	宋代	A Dynasty 960–1279
Sōng Shān	嵩山	A Mountain
Sohyìn	手印	Mudrā
Suò Chán	坐禪	Sitting meditation
T
Táng Dài	唐代	A Dynasty 618 - 907
Tì Chàng	提唱	Dharma-talk
Tiān	天	Heaven
Tiāntái Zōng	天台宗	A Sect
Tú Wéi Nǎ	途维那	Superintendent/Karmadana
U ,	Ǔ, ǔ, ú, ù, ū
V W
Wěi	魏	A State
Wéi Wú Wéi	為無為	Do-not do
Wéi​ Xīn	為心	Voice of the Mind
Wèndǎ	問答	Short intervue
Wénshū Púsà	文殊菩薩	Manjusri
Wǒ	我	Self/Ego
Wú	悟	Enlightenment
Wú	無	“Emptiness”
Wúcháng	無常	Impermanence
Wúménguān	無門關	A Book
Wúmíng	無明	Ignorance
Wǔtáishān​	五 台 山	Holy Mountain
Wú Wéi	無為	Not do
Wú Wǒ	無我	Not Self
Wú Qì	無氣	No Energy
Wǔ Yùn	五蘊	5 Skandhas
X
Xiāng​ Yān Sí	香严寺	A Temple
Xiāng Bǎn	香板	Scented board/Sword
Xiàng Fǎ	像法	Middle day of the law
Xiǎoshèng	小乘	Hīnayāna
Xīn	心	Heart/Mind
Xīn Xīn Míng Jǐng	信心銘經	Faith In Mind Sūtra
Xíng Chán	行禅	Walking meditation (1)
Xíng Jīng	行經	Walking meditation (2)
Xuán Zàng	玄奘	602-664
Xuěfēng Yìcún	雪峰义存	822-908
Xū-Yún	虛雲	1840-1959
Y
Yáo Shān	崤山	A Mountain
Yàoshīfó	藥師如來	Medicine Buddha
Yè/Yīnguǒ	業/因果	Karma
Yī	–	One
Yǐn Guāng	隱光	Hidden Light
Yīn Yuan	因縁	Dependent Origination
Yántóu Quánhuō	巖頭全豁	828 – 887
Yòngjiā Xuānjué	永嘉玄覺	665-713
Yǒu	有	Existing
Yǒulún	有輪	Wheel of Becoming
Yuánqǐ	緣起	Dependent Origination
Yuèchēng	月稱	Çandrakīrti 600-650
Yúqiexīn Pài	唯識瑜伽行派	Yogaçara School
Yúnmén Wényǎn	雲門文偃	862/4-949
Yùquán Shénxiù	玉泉神秀	607-706
Z
Zhàozhōu Cōngshěn	趙州從諗	778-897
Zhànrán	湛然	711-782
Zhǐ Guan	止觀	Stop & Observe
Zhèjiāng	浙江	A Province
Zhēn	真	Truth
Zhēn Dì	真諦	The Absolute/Shintai
Zhèndìng	镇定	Equanimity
Zhēnyán Zōng	真言宗	Shingon Buddhism
Zhēng	錚	Bowl Gong
Zhèng Fǎ	正法	Former day of the law
Zhèngniàn	正念	Right Mindfulness/ Step 7 of 8-Fold Path
Zhìyǐ	智顗	538-597
Zhōngdào	中道	Middle Way
Zhū	珠	Precious Stone
Zhǔ	煮	Cook
Zhū Chí	住持	Abbot
Zōng	宗	School/Sect
Zōngmì	宗密	See ‘G’
Zhōng​ Nán Shān	终南山	A Mountain Range
Zhōngguān Pài	中觀派	Mādhyamika Sect
Zhōngguān Jiàn	中觀件	Jap.: Shingon Shu
Zhōngguān Zōng	中觀宗	Mādhyamaka School
Zhŏngzi	種子	Bija-Seed
Zhòu	咒	Mantra
Zuò Chán	坐禅	Sitting Meditation
Zuò Wù	作務	Temple-Work