菩 (pú): used in 菩薩|菩萨, used in 菩提
菩 (pú) is a Chinese character meaning “used in 菩薩|菩萨.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 咅 (phonetic). It ranks #2158 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 菩 herb. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 花 (huā, flower), 茶 (chá, tea), 菜 (cài, vegetable, dish).
Definitions
- used in 菩薩|菩萨
- used in 菩提
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 菩 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 菩萨 | pú sà | (Buddhism) bodhisattva |
| 菩提树 | pú tí shù | peepul (Ficus religiosa) |
| 活菩萨 | huó pú sà | a living Buddha |
| 泥菩萨 | ní pú sà | clay Bodhisattva |
| 菩提道场 | pú tí dào chǎng | Bodhimanda (place of enlightenment associated with a Bodhisattva) |
| 大愿地藏菩萨 | dà yuàn dì zàng pú sà | Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow (to save all souls before accepting Bodhi) |
| 泥菩萨过江，自身难保 | ní pú sà guò jiāng , zì shēn nán bǎo | like a clay Bodhisattva fording a river, can't guarantee his own safety |
| 大势至菩萨 | dà shì zhì pú sà | (Buddhism) Mahasthamaprapta, the Great Strength Bodhisattva |
| 金刚手菩萨 | jīn gāng shǒu pú sà | Vajrapani Bodhisattva |
| 文殊师利菩萨 | wén shū shī lì pú sà | Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of keen awareness |
| 观世音菩萨 | guān shì yīn pú sà | Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion or Goddess of Mercy (Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara) |
| 地藏王菩萨 | dì zàng wáng pú sà | Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow (to save all souls before accepting Bodhi) |
| 菩提达摩 | pú tí dá mó | Bodhidharma |
| 地藏菩萨 | dì zàng pú sà | Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow (to save all souls before accepting Bodhi) |
| 观音菩萨 | guān yīn pú sà | Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion or Goddess of Mercy (Sanskrit Avalokiteśvara) |
菩 appears in 22 compound words: 23 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 77 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 菩 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
Bodhidharma (traditionally regarded as the transmitter of the Chan school to China)
Bodhidharma (traditionally regarded as the transmitter of the Chan school to China)
Example Sentences
老师教我们菩字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men pú zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "普."
渡海途中与东海龙宫产生纠葛，经观音菩萨调停，两方罢斗和好。
dù hǎi tú zhōng yǔ dōng hǎi lóng gōng chǎn shēng jiū Gě , jīng guàn yīn pú sà diào tíng , liǎng fāng bà dǒu hé hǎo .
During their journey across the sea, they became embroiled in a conflict with the Dragon Palace of the East China Sea; after mediation by Guanyin Bodhisattva, the two sides ceased fighting and reconciled.
更多民族世界类新专辑： 月恍《 野菩提 》 听完这些专辑还过瘾吗？
gēng duō mín zú shì jiè lèi xīn zhuān jí : yuè huǎng yě pú tí tīng wán zhè xiē zhuān jí hái guò yǐn ma ?
More new albums in the "Ethnic World" genre: Yue Huang's *Wild Bodhi*—Are you still craving more after listening to these albums?
崔和妻贾淑姿造佛菩萨三尊像。
崔 hé qī gǔ 淑 zī zào fó pú sà sān zūn xiàng .
Cui and his wife, Jia Shuzhi, created three statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas.
这里不仅发现了佛、菩萨等泥塑彩绘像，还有浮雕饰件及少量绘有装饰图案的壁画。
zhè lǐ bù jǐn fā xiàn le fó , pú sà děng ní sù cǎi huì xiàng , hái yǒu fú diāo shì jiàn jí shǎo liàng huì yǒu zhuāng shì tú àn de bì huà .
Not only were clay sculptures of Buddha, Bodhisattvas, and other figures, painted in color, discovered here, but also relief ornaments and a small number of murals featuring decorative patterns.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 菩 (pú) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 菩 and 部?
How many strokes does 菩 have?
What is the radical of 菩?
What are the components of 菩?
What are common words containing 菩?
What characters sound the same as 菩 (pú)?
Is 菩 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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