寺庙
sìmiào
The English phrase "buddhist temple" is translated into Chinese as 寺庙 (sìmiào).
寺庙 is used to refer to a place of worship for followers of Buddhism. If you need to be explicit about the religion, you can specify that it is a Buddhist temple by adding 佛教 (fójiào, Buddhism) before the word, resulting in 佛教寺庙.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 寺庙 is composed of 寺 (temple or office) and 庙 (temple or shrine).
Which one should you use?
While 寺庙 is a general term for a temple, in a Buddhist context, speakers often use the shorter form 寺 to refer specifically to a Buddhist temple.
How do you pronounce it?
sìmiào
Did you know?
- The character 寺 originally referred to a government office or imperial court rather than a place of worship. It only came to mean 'temple' after the government began funding early Buddhist monasteries.
- In China, Buddhist temples are often indistinguishable from Taoist temples in architecture, but you can tell them apart by the statues. Buddhist temples prominently feature the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, while Taoist ones focus on deities like 太上老君.
- Visitors to a 寺庙 will often see people burning incense sticks in large cauldrons. The smoke is believed to carry prayers from the earthly realm up to the heavens.
Examples in context
- 我去参观一座佛教寺庙。I am going to visit a Buddhist temple.
- 这座寺庙已经有100年的历史了。This temple has a history of 100 years.
- 他经常在寺庙里祈祷。He often prays in the temple.
- 那座寺庙非常安静。Nà zuò sìmiào fēicháng ānjìng.That buddhist temple is very quiet.
- 我们在附近找了一座寺庙。Wǒmen zài fùjìn zhǎole yī zuò sìmiào.We found a buddhist temple nearby.
- 这座寺庙里有很多游客。Zhè zuò sìmiào lǐ yǒu hěnduō yóukè.There are many tourists in this buddhist temple.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their weekend travel plans.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你想去哪儿玩？Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ'er wán?Where do you want to go?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想去参观那座寺庙。Wǒ xiǎng qù cānguān nà zuò sìmiào.I want to visit that buddhist temple.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那个寺庙很出名吗？Nàge sìmiào hěn chūmíng ma?Is that buddhist temple famous?
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，它非常有名。Shì de, tā fēicháng yǒumíng.Yes, it is very famous.
