Bồ Tát

Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• Bồ-tát

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 菩薩, from Chinese 菩薩／菩萨 (púsà, “bodhisattva”). While there are many bodhisattvas, the Bodhisattva remains Quan Âm (“Avalokiteshvara; Guanyin”). Compare Phật (“a buddha; the Buddha”) and Chúa (“a lord; the Lord”).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔɓo˨˩ taːt̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔɓow˦˩ taːk̚˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [ʔɓow˨˩ taːk̚˦˥]
• Homophone: bồ tát

Noun

Bồ Tát

1. Alternative letter-case form of bồ tát (“a bodhisattva”)

Proper noun

Bồ Tát

1. Synonym of Quan Âm (“Avalokiteshvara; Guanyin”)

   hiền như Bồ Tát

   as merciful as the Bodhisattva