flying apsara; celestial deity
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
flying apsara; celestial deity
literaryA specific term in Buddhist art, referring to celestial beings (devas) depicted as flying in the sky, often in Dunhuang murals and temple carvings. The translation comes from the Sanskrit 'deva' which has the meaning of 'heaven' or 'sky' (天).
Dūn敦
huáng煌
bì壁
huà画
zhōng中
de的
fēi飞
tiān天
zī姿
tài态
yōu优
měi美
，
xǔ栩
xǔ栩
rú如
shēng生
。
The flying apsaras in the Dunhuang murals have graceful postures and are vividly lifelike.
Zhè这
zuò座
gǔ古
sì寺
de的
shí石
kū窟
lǐ里
diāo雕
kè刻
zhe着
xǔ许
duō多
fēi飞
tiān天
de的
xíng形
xiàng象
。
Many images of celestial deities are carved in the grottoes of this ancient temple.
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Fēi飞
tiān天
shì是
fó佛
jiào教
yì艺
shù术
de的
zhòng重
yào要
zhǔ主
tí题
zhī之
yī一
。
The flying apsara is one of the important themes in Buddhist art.