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居士. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
居士, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
居士 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Chinese
Pronunciation
Noun
居士
- (Buddhism) householder (lay devotee)
- (Buddhism, Hinduism, uncommon) Vaishya (one of the four castes of the varna system)
- Synonym: 吠舍 (fèishè)
摩納白佛言：「世有四姓——剎利、婆羅門、居士、首陀羅；其彼三姓，常尊重、恭敬、供養婆羅門。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
摩纳白佛言：「世有四姓——刹利、婆罗门、居士、首陀罗；其彼三姓，常尊重、恭敬、供养婆罗门。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]- From: c. 413. Buddhayaśas (佛陀耶舍) and Zhu Fonian (竺佛念), trans. The Dīrghāgama 《長阿含經》 DA 20. English text based on the translation by Bhikkhu Sujato of the parallel text DN 3 in the Pali Tipiṭaka
- Mónà bái Fó yán: “Shì yǒu sì xìng — chàlì, póluómén, jūshì, shǒutuóluó; qí bǐ sān xìng, cháng zūnzhòng, gōngjìng, gōngyǎng póluómén.”
- "Master Gotama, there are these four castes: aristocrats, brahmins, merchants, and workers. Three of these castes — aristocrats, merchants, and workers — in fact succeed only in serving the brahmins," (said the youth)
- retired scholar