摩訶薩

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (摩訶薩)		摩	訶	薩
simp. (摩诃萨)		摩	诃	萨

Etymology

Short for 摩訶薩埵／摩诃萨埵 (móhēsàduǒ) from Sanskrit महासत्त्व (mahāsattva, “great creature; great being”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): móhēsà

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄛˊ ㄏㄜ ㄙㄚˋ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: móhēsà
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄛˊ ㄏㄜ ㄙㄚˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: móhesà
    • Wade–Giles: mo²-ho¹-sa⁴
    • Yale: mwó-hē-sà
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mohesah
    • Palladius: мохэса (moxɛsa)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mu̯ɔ³⁵ xɤ⁵⁵ sä⁵¹/

Noun

摩訶薩

1. (Buddhism) bodhisattva

   • 菩薩摩訶薩學三世諸佛所行法故。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     菩萨摩诃萨学三世诸佛所行法故。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Avataṃsaka Sūtra, translated by Śikṣānanda circa 7^th century CE

     Púsà móhēsà xué sānshì zhū fó suǒ xíng fǎ gù. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (Buddhism) mahasattva, a "great bodhisattva", one explicitly defined by their devotion to bodhicitta

Synonyms

• (bodhisattva): 菩薩／菩萨 (púsà), 摩訶薩埵／摩诃萨埵 (móhēsàduǒ), 菩提薩埵／菩提萨埵 (pútísàduǒ)