僧 sēng Buddhist priest
Buddhist priest; monk
How to remember 僧: 亻 person + 曾 used to be = Buddhist priest. The quiet person sweeping the temple steps used to be a banker in Shanghai, and now he is a Buddhist priest.
Component breakdown
僧 = 亻 person + 曾 used to be
- 亻 person
- 曾 used to be
The quiet person sweeping the temple steps used to be a banker in Shanghai, and now he is a Buddhist priest.
How it is used
- A Buddhist monk - 僧人 (sēngrén) monk, 僧侣 (sēnglǚ) clergy/monks, 高僧 (gāosēng) an eminent monk.
- Male Buddhist clergy specifically; a nun is 尼姑, a Daoist priest is 道士.
- 僧多粥少 (sēng duō zhōu shǎo) = many monks, little porridge - too many people for too few resources.