济公

濟公

Jìgōng

proper noun

Meanings

1 Jigong, Southern Song Buddhist monk known as the 'Mad Monk'

About Jigong

c. 1130–1209 · 宗教人物 religious figure

Song dynasty monk of Hangzhou's 灵隐寺 who ate meat, drank wine and wore rags, yet in folk tales helps the poor and outwits the wicked. Many know him from the 1985 TV series starring 游本昌.

Also called 道济、济颠、李修缘

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

他穿得破破烂烂，活像个济公。

Tā chuān de pòpolànlàn, huóxiàng ge Jìgōng.

He's dressed in tatters - he looks just like Jigong.

HSK 7-9

济公是中国民间最受欢迎的和尚之一。

Jìgōng shì Zhōngguó mínjiān zuì shòu huānyíng de héshang zhīyī.

Jigong is one of the most beloved monks in Chinese folk tradition.

Tips

culture

When monks complained about him, his master answered 佛门之大，岂不容一癫僧, 'the Buddhist gate is so wide, can it not hold one mad monk?', hence his nickname 济颠. Many took him for the 降龙罗汉, the Dragon-Taming Arhat, reborn.

In Pop Culture

鞋儿破，帽儿破，身上的袈裟破 Xié er pò, mào er pò, shēnshang de jiāshā pò

Broken shoes, broken hat, broken robes on his back

Opening line of the theme song from the 1985 CCTV TV series 济公, instantly recognizable to anyone who grew up in 1980s China.

Stroke Order

济 jì

公 gōng

济公