禅 chán — abdicate, Zen · English

禅

chán

abdicate, Zen

At a glance · 禅

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从示單声，形声字，本指祭天（封禅），后指禅让、佛教。隶楷作「禪」，简化作「禅」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「禅」本指祭天大典，引申为帝王让位与佛教宗派。

Structure

形声字，示为意符，單为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinchán

Radical礻

Strokes12

UnicodeU+7985

Character type形声

Theme礼乐

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English abdicate, Zen To abdicate (throne); Zen Buddhism.

Français abdiquer, Zen Abdiquer (trône); bouddhisme Zen.

Español abdicar, Zen Abdicar (trono); budismo Zen.

العربية يتنازل، زن يتنازل عن العرش أو الزن البوذي.

Русский передавать престол, дзэн Передавать престол; дзэн-буддизм.

Common words

禅shànabdicate/chan
禅宗chán zōngZen

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