世尊

Chinese

		life; age; generation life; age; generation; era; world; lifetime	to honour
trad. (世尊)		世	尊
simp. #(世尊)		世	尊
Literally: “worshipped by all; the world's reverence”.

Etymology

Calque of Sanskrit भगवान् (bhagavān), Pali bhagavā, etc.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Shìzūn

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˋ ㄗㄨㄣ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Shìzūn
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˋ ㄗㄨㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Shìhzun
    • Wade–Giles: Shih⁴-tsun¹
    • Yale: Shr̀-dzwūn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shyhtzuen
    • Palladius: Шицзунь (Šiczunʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵¹ t͡su̯ən⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: syejH tswon

Rime
Character	世	尊
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	祭 (35)	魂 (55)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Closed
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	舒制切	祖昆切
Baxter	syejH	tswon
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕiᴇiH/	/t͡suən/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕiɛiH/	/t͡suon/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕjæiH/	/t͡suən/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕiajH/	/t͡swən/
Li Rong	/ɕiɛiH/	/t͡suən/
Wang Li	/ɕĭɛiH/	/t͡suən/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi̯ɛiH/	/t͡suən/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shì	zūn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sai3	zyun1

Proper noun

世尊

1. (honorific, chiefly Buddhism) Bhagavan; Lord; Honoured One (title of the Buddha)

   Synonyms: 釋尊／释尊 (Shìzūn), 天尊 (tiānzūn), 婆伽婆 (Pógāpó)

   • 爾時持地菩薩即從座起前白佛言：「世尊，若有衆生，聞是觀世音菩薩品，自在之業，普門示現神通力者，當知是人功德不少。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     尔时持地菩萨即从座起前白佛言：「世尊，若有众生，闻是观世音菩萨品，自在之业，普门示现神通力者，当知是人功德不少。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Lotus Sutra, translated by Kumārajīva, 406 CE

     Ěrshí Chídì púsà jí cóng zuò qǐ qián bái Fó yán: “Shìzūn, ruò yǒu zhòngshēng, wén shì Guānshìyīn púsà pǐn, zìzài zhī yè, pǔmén shìxiàn shéntōnglì zhě, dāng zhī shì rén gōngdé bùshào. [Pinyin]

     Then the Bodhisattva Earth Holder rose from his seat, went before the Buddha, and said to him: "World-Honored One, if any living being hears this Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World chapter, hears of the freedom of his actions and the divine power of the revelation of the universal gateway, it should be known that this person's blessings are not few."

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (世尊):

• → Japanese: 世(せ)尊(そん) (seson)
• → Korean: 세존(世尊) (sejon)
• → Vietnamese: Thế Tôn (世尊)

Further reading

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “世尊” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

Japanese

Kanji in this term
世	尊
せ Grade: 3	そん Grade: 6
goon

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 世尊 (MC syejH tswon), itself a translation of Sanskrit भगवत् (bhagavat, “deity”), or Pali bhagavā.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) せ​そん [séꜜsòǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [se̞sõ̞ɴ]

Proper noun

世(せ)尊(そん) • (Seson) 

1. (Buddhism) the World-Honored One, an honorific name for the Gautama Buddha
   • Lotus Sutra (chapter 25)

     ...爾(に)時(じ)。持地(じぢ)菩(ぼ)薩(さつ)。即(そく)従(じゅ)座(ざ)起(き)。前(ぜん)白(びゃく)仏(ぶつ)言(ごん)。世尊(せそん)。若(にゃく)有(う)衆生(しゅじょう)。聞(もん)是(ぜ)観世音(かんぜおん)菩(ぼ)薩(さつ)品(ほん)。自(じ)在(ざい)之(し)業(ごう)。普門(ふもん)示現(じげん)。神通(じんづう)力(りき)者(しゃ)当(とう)知(ち)是(ぜ)人(にん)。功(く)徳(どく)不少(ふしょう)...

     ...ni ji, Jiji Bosatsu, soku ju za ki, zen byaku Butsu gon. Seson, nyaku u shujō, mon ze Kanzeon Bosatsu hon, jizai shi gō, fumon jigen, jinzū rikisha tō chi ze nin, kudoku fu-shō...

     Then the Bodhisattva Earth Holder rose from his seat, went before the Buddha, and said to him: "World-Honored One, if any living being hears this Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World chapter, hears of the freedom of his actions and the divine power of the revelation of the universal gateway, it should be known that this person's blessings are not few."

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 世尊院(せそんいん) (Seson-in)
• 世尊寺(せそんじ) (Seson-ji)
• 大覚(だいかく)世尊(せそん) (Daikaku Seson)
• 大聖(だいしょう)世尊(せそん) (Daishō Seson)
• 二世尊(にせそん) (Niseson)

See also

• ブッダ (Budda), 仏(ぶつ)陀(だ) (Butsuda)
• 釈(シャ)迦(カ)牟(ム)尼(ニ) (Shakamuni), 釈(しゃ)迦(か)如(にょ)来(らい) (Shaka Nyorai)

Korean

Hanja in this term
世	尊

Proper noun

世尊 • (Sejon) (hangeul 세존)

1. Hanja form^? of 세존 (“(Buddhism) the World-Honored One, an honorific name for the Gautama Buddha; an indigenous agricultural deity often associated with the Buddha”).