Ancient religion is deeply ingrained in chinese language, culture

Even if you do not follow in the ways of the Siddhartha, there is a lot people can learn from the tenets, language, and culture of Buddhism. Imported into China almost 2,000 years ago, there are 185 million Buddhists in China, and Buddhist vocabulary is deeply ingrained in the Chinese language.

Many words can make you sound more like a Buddhist. When you want to say "stupid", instead of 愚蠢 (yúchǔn), you should say 愚癡 (yúchī), which makes the word sounds more sympathetic, as if the Buddha's eyes are casting empathy on the stupidity of humanity. For those on a diet who want to say "I'm determined to lose 10 kilos", say "我發(fā)愿減十磅" (Wǒ fāyuàn jiǎn shíbàng), giving the action a solemn tone. But if there is one Buddhist word you need to learn, it is 無常 (wúcháng), essential to all Buddhist beliefs. It literally means unpredictable, but in a Buddhist context it means everything will die and nothing is permanent.

My house is going to be torn down.

Wǒ de fángzi yào bèi chāiqiān le.

我的房子要被拆遷了.

That is how this world is; everything passes away.

Shìshì jiùshìzhème wúcháng a.

世事就是這么無常啊.

I was fired.

Wǒ bèi chǎo le.

我被炒了.

Let it go. It's just a job. If you feel attached to anything in this ever-changing world, you are fated to suffer.

Fàngxià bà! Zhè zhǐshì gè gōngzuò. Rúguǒ nǐ zhízhuó yú zhègè wúcháng de shìjiè shàng de rènhé dōngxi, jiù zhùdìng yào shòukǔ.

放下吧！這只是個(gè)工作.如果你執(zhí)著于這個(gè)無常的世界上的任何東西，就注定要受苦.

The word 因果 (yīnguǒ, karma) is frequently used to explain everything that is good and horrible in the world. 因果 literally means causes and results, but when it is used in a Buddhist context it indicates a resigned attitude that puts everything in the hands of fate. It is often used together with 報(bào)應(yīng) (bàoyìng), which means basically the same thing.

Did you see the hit-and-run news? The police have no leads.

Nǐ kànle nà tiáo zhàoshì táoyìde xīnwén ma? Jǐngchá gēnběn zhuābùdào tā.

你看了那條肇事逃逸的新聞嗎？警察根本抓不到他.

We are all creatures of our own karma. They will come face to face with their deeds one day.

Wǒmen dōu bēifùzhe zìjǐ de yīnguǒ. Tāmen chízǎo huìzāodào bàoyìng de.

我們都背負(fù)著自己的因果.他們遲早會(huì)遭到報(bào)應(yīng)的.

I won the lottery.

Wǒ zhòngjiǎng le.

我中獎(jiǎng)了.

It must be karma. You must have done many good things in your last life.

Yīnguǒ a! Nǐ zhè shì shàngbèizi xiū lái de fúfèn.

因果??！你這是上輩子修來的福分.

You should also show how, armed with the wisdom of Buddha, you cannot be seduced by the vanity of the material world. In Buddhist terms, the exterior of things is called 色 (sè), the visible form, while the innate nature of all things is 空 (kōng), emptiness. Memorizing this passage from the Heart Sutra will make you look really insightful:

Form does not differ from emptiness,

Emptiness does not differ from form.

Form is emptiness,

And emptiness is form.

Sè bù yì kōng, kōng bù yì sè. Sè jì shì kōng, kōng jì shì sè.

色不異空，空不異色.色即是空，空即是色.

In this example, "form is emptiness" is widely used.

I'm so jealous of the Porsche owner who painted his car gold.

Wǒ zhēn xiànmù nàge kāi jīnsè Bǎoshíjié de rén.

我真羨慕那個(gè)開金色保時(shí)捷的人.

But remember, all forms are emptiness.

Dàn nǐ bié wàng le, sè jì shì kōng a.

但你別忘了，色即是空啊.

To return a greeting, say "阿彌陀佛" (ēmítuófó, Amitabha) on all occasions and you will almost never go wrong; it shows humility. Amitabha was a bodhisattva's name, but in daily conversations, it just means "Buddha bless you" and indicates politeness. It can also be used as an exclamation, similar to "Oh my god!"

Amitabha! I've used the sugar instead of salt.

ēmítuófó! Wǒ bǎ táng dāngzuò yán le.

阿彌陀佛！我把糖當(dāng)做鹽了.

If you visit a temple and want to offer incense or get a string of beads, never say "buy" but rather "invite" (請(qǐng) qǐng).

May I "invite" a string of Buddhist beads?

Wǒ xiǎng qǐng yí chuàn fózhū.

我想請(qǐng)一串佛珠.

Amitabha. Our Buddhist beads are all blessed by the abbot. May you come to know infinite righteousness.

ēmítuófó. Wǒmen zhèlǐ de fózhū dōushì zhùchí kāiguò guāng de, shīzhǔ zhēnshì jiéle shànyuán le.

阿彌陀佛.我們這里的佛珠都是住持開過光的，施主真是結(jié)了善緣了.

In more touristy temples, you may want to tactfully reject what the monks want you to "invite".

Patron, "invite" a Buddha statue to your house. His blessings will keep your whole family from illness and disaster.

Shīzhǔ, qǐng zūn fóxiàng huíqù ba, bǎoyòu nǐmen quánjiā wúbìng wú zāi.

施主，請(qǐng)尊佛像回去吧，保佑你們?nèi)覠o病無災(zāi).

Should anyone, looking at an image or likeness of the Buddha, claim to know the Buddha and worship him, that person would be mistaken and not knowing the true Buddha.

Ruò yǐ sè jiàn wǒ, yǐ shēngyīn qiú wǒ, shì rén xíng xiédào, bùnéng jiàn Rúlái.

若以色見我，以聲音求我，是人行邪道，不能見如來.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com

The World of Chinese

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/14/2014 page27)