不二法门

不二法門
bù'èrfǎmén
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 the one and only way
  2. 2 the best or unique method
  3. 3 lit. the gate of non-duality (Buddhist)

Examples

Qínfèn shì chénggōng de bù èr fǎ mén.
Diligence is the one and only path to success.
Liànxí shì xuéhǎo wàiyǔ de bù èr fǎ mén.
Practice is the only way to master a foreign language.
Jiǎnféi de bù èr fǎ mén jiùshì guǎn zhù zuǐ, mài kāi tuǐ.
The one true way to lose weight is to control your mouth and move your legs.

Tips

history
From 《·不二法门》 (Vimalakirti Sutra): 'non-duality' () is the Buddhist teaching that transcends opposites like right/wrong and self/other. Became a common metaphor for 'the one true method.'
culture
Still used in both religious and secular contexts. In modern Chinese it usually means 'the one and only way,' with the Buddhist origin often forgotten.

Stroke Order

èr
mén