koan
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Japanese 公案 (kōan), which was from Chinese 公案 (gōng'àn, “official business”).
Pronunciation
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Audio (US): (file)
Noun
koan (plural koans)
- (Zen Buddhism) A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori.
- 1979, Douglas R. Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
- Achilles: Let me tell you a kōan about an imitator.
- Zen master Gutei raised his finger whenever he was asked a question about Zen. A young novice began to imitate him in this way. When Gutei was told about the novice’s imitation, he sent for him and asked him if it were true. The novice admitted it was so. Gutei asked him if he understood. In reply the novice held up his index finger. Gutei promptly cut it off. The novice ran from the room, howling in pain. As he reached the threshold, Gutei called, “Boy!” When the novice turned, Gutei raised his index finger. At that instant the novice was enlightened.
- Achilles: Let me tell you a kōan about an imitator.
- 1979, Douglas R. Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
- A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment.
- 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
- Gibberish. Or else a koan that Achtfaden isn’t equipped to master, a transcendent puzzle that could lead him to some moment of light.
- 2001, Joyce Carol Oates, Middle Age : A Romance (Fourth Estate, paperback edition, 303)
- As always the koan “Why, Why am I here, why here” begins in her head, but she beats it back like a housewife with a broom.
- 1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
Translations
zen story
riddle without solution
Anagrams
French
Etymology
(deprecated template usage) [etyl] Japanese 公案 (kōan), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Literary Chinese 公案 (gōng'àn) (literally, "public case").
Noun
koan m (plural koan)
Further reading
- “koan”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Hungarian
Alternative forms
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] English koan, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Japanese 公案 (kōan), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Literary Chinese 公案 (gōng'àn) (literally, "public case").
Pronunciation
Noun
koan (plural koanok)
Declension
Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | koan | koanok |
accusative | koant | koanokat |
dative | koannak | koanoknak |
instrumental | koannal | koanokkal |
causal-final | koanért | koanokért |
translative | koanná | koanokká |
terminative | koanig | koanokig |
essive-formal | koanként | koanokként |
essive-modal | — | — |
inessive | koanban | koanokban |
superessive | koanon | koanokon |
adessive | koannál | koanoknál |
illative | koanba | koanokba |
sublative | koanra | koanokra |
allative | koanhoz | koanokhoz |
elative | koanból | koanokból |
delative | koanról | koanokról |
ablative | koantól | koanoktól |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
koané | koanoké |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
koanéi | koanokéi |
Possessive forms of koan | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
1st person sing. | koanom | koanjaim |
2nd person sing. | koanod | koanjaid |
3rd person sing. | koanja | koanjai |
1st person plural | koanunk | koanjaink |
2nd person plural | koanotok | koanjaitok |
3rd person plural | koanjuk | koanjaik |
Volapük
Noun
koan (nominative plural koans)
Declension
declension of koan
Derived terms
- koanaf (“shellfish”)
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Japanese
- English terms derived from Japanese
- English terms derived from Chinese
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Buddhism
- Min Nan terms with redundant script codes
- French terms derived from Japanese
- French terms derived from Literary Chinese
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French terms spelled with K
- French masculine nouns
- fr:Buddhism
- Hungarian terms derived from English
- Hungarian terms derived from Japanese
- Hungarian terms derived from Literary Chinese
- Hungarian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hungarian terms with manual IPA pronunciation
- Hungarian lemmas
- Hungarian nouns
- hu:Buddhism
- Volapük lemmas
- Volapük nouns