| Shi | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 釋 | ||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 释 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Vietnamese name | |||||||||||||
| Vietnamese | Thích | ||||||||||||
| Korean name | |||||||||||||
| Hangul | 석 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||
| Hiragana | しゃく | ||||||||||||
| Shinjitai | 釈 | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
InEast Asian Buddhism, monks and nuns usually adopt aBuddhist surname and aDharma name, which are combined in the surname-first East-Asian naming order. Since the 4th century the standard Buddhist surname has beenShi (Chinese: 釋, Korean:Seok, Vietnamese:Thích,[1] Japanese:Shaku), which is the first syllable of Shijiamouni, the Chinese word forShakyamuni.[2] This practice was introduced by theJin dynasty (266–420) monkDao'an in around 370, when he stayed inXiangyang,[3] and became general practice in China after 385.[2] Previously Chinese monks and nuns used several other Buddhist surnames, typically designating the ethnonational origin of their foreign preceptors.[2]
The most notable early surname wasZhu (Chinese:竺;pinyin:Zhú;Wade–Giles:Chu2;Jyutping:Zuk1),[4] which came fromTianzhu (the Chinese word for India).[5]Jingjian (292–361) or Zhu Jingjian was the first nun of China.Daosheng (c. 360–434) or Zhu Daosheng was one of the last influential monks to use Zhu rather than Shi.[2]
Other Buddhist surnames included:
The adoption of a Buddhist surname signifies the ordinand's severance of family bonds and their full devotion to the teachings of the Buddha.[2]