维那

維那

wéinà

noun #35,217

Meanings

1 weina — Buddhist monastic role responsible for managing temple affairs
2 transliteration of Sanskrit karma-dāna ('giver of duties')

Characters

(transliteration syllable; lit. 'maintain')

(transliteration syllable; lit. 'that')

Examples

寺里的维那负责管理僧众事务。

Sì lǐ de wéinà fùzé guǎnlǐ sēngzhòng shìwù.

The temple's weina is responsible for managing the monks' affairs.

他在寺院担任维那一职。

Tā zài sìyuàn dānrèn wéinà yì zhí.

He holds the post of weina at the monastery.

Tips

history

维那 transliterates the Sanskrit 羯磨陀那 (karma-dāna), translated as 授事 ('giver of duties'). In a Chinese Buddhist temple it ranks just below the 上座 (chief elder) and 寺主 (abbot), and runs day-to-day discipline and ritual. Modern usage is rare outside monastic contexts.

Stroke Order

维 wéi

那 nà