zen

CEFRB2

/zɛn/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A calm state of attention and peace.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Alternative letter-case form of zen: (religion) enlightenment and (informal) mindful action, instruction, or behavior considered similar to Zen.

Examples

  • Zen priests beg for alms near Shinjuku station.

  • He sat in Zen meditation.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Of or related to Zen Buddhism.

  2. Synonym of enlightenment, particularly the kind acquired through Zen meditation.

  3. An approach to instruction, understanding, or an activity similarly emphasizing simplicity and intuition rather than conventional thinking or fixation on goals.

More examples

In context

  • They say Zen cultivates our mind.

  • For Orientals these mysterious formulae are clear and familiar truths, but for us they are completely bewildering... Dhyana Buddhism, which is known in Japan as "Zen"... is not speculation at all but immediate experience of what, as the bottomless ground of B...

  • Zen meditation

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After meditating for an hour, she achieved a state of perfect blank.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Japanese 禅(ぜん) (zen), from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen), an abbreviation of 禪那 (MC dzyen na), from Sanskrit ध्यान (dhyāna, “a type of meditation”). Doublet of dhyana and Chan.