寺
official office; temple; mosque; surname
Meanings
4 senses · 8 examplesnoun
ancient official administrative office
formalUsed for historical government agencies, e.g., the judiciary and ritual affairs departments in ancient China.
The Dali Temple was the ancient Chinese agency in charge of judicial trials.
The Taichang Temple was responsible for managing court sacrificial rituals and ceremonies.
noun
Buddhist temple
neutralStandard term for Buddhist temples in Chinese, widely used in place names and historical texts.
Biyun Temple is a famous Buddhist temple on Western Hill in Beijing.
Huguo Temple was once one of the busiest temple fair venues in Beijing.
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This thousand-year-old temple preserves a large number of Tang Dynasty Buddha statues.
noun
mosque
neutralCommon term for mosques used by Chinese Muslim communities, paired with '清真' to specify Islamic places of worship.
There is a newly built mosque on this street.
Xi'an Great Mosque is one of the oldest surviving mosques in China.
noun
surname Si
neutralA relatively rare Chinese surname.
Professor Si, who researches ancient history, is an expert in the field.