菩萨

菩薩
púsà
noun HSK 7-9 #22,453

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 Bodhisattva
  2. 2 Buddhist deity
  3. 3 a kindhearted person

Examples

Guānyīn Púsà shì Zhōngguó zuì shòu huānyíng de púsà.
Guanyin is the most popular Bodhisattva in China.
Tā xīndì shànliáng, dàjiā dōu jiào tā huópúsà.
She's so kindhearted that everyone calls her a living Bodhisattva.

Tips

culture
菩萨 comes from Sanskrit 'bodhisattva'. In Chinese folk religion, 菩萨 are compassionate deities people pray to. Calling someone 菩萨 or 活菩萨 means they are exceptionally kind.
memory
The most famous 菩萨 is 观音菩萨 (Guanyin) -- you'll see her statues everywhere in China and across East Asia.

Stroke Order