chán
noun #18,500

Meanings

  1. 1 Zen (Buddhism)
  2. 2 dhyana; meditation
  3. 3 contemplation

Examples

Tā měitiān dǎzuò cānchán.
He sits in meditation and practices Zen every day.
Chánzōng shì Zhōngguó Fójiào de zhòngyào liúpài.
Chan Buddhism is an important school of Chinese Buddhism.

Tips

history
is a transliteration of Sanskrit 'dhyana' (meditation). Chan Buddhism (禅宗) originated in China and later became Zen in Japan. Note: has a second reading shàn meaning 'to abdicate' ( shànràng), a completely different word.

Stroke Order

chán