Vesak Day (Buddha's Birthday) in Chinese 佛诞节
fódànjié
Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) in Chinese is 佛诞节 (fó dàn jié).
Also searched for as: vesak day, wesak, buddha's birthday, 卫塞节.
Celebrating the Buddha. 15 words and phrases for Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Buddha's Birthday in Chinese is 佛诞节 (fó dàn jié). In Chinese tradition it falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month and is also called 浴佛节 (yù fó jié), the Bathing the Buddha Festival. At temples, worshippers pour water over a small statue of the infant Buddha, 烧香 (shāo xiāng), burn incense, listen to monks 念经 (niàn jīng) and eat 素食 (sù shí), vegetarian food. Elsewhere in Asia it's known as Vesak.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 佛诞节 | fó dàn jié | Buddha's Birthday; Vesak |
| 浴佛节 | yù fó jié | Bathing the Buddha Festival |
| 浴佛 | yù fó | to bathe the Buddha statue |
| 佛祖 | fó zǔ | the Buddha |
| 释迦牟尼 | Shì jiā móu ní | Shakyamuni (the Buddha) |
| 佛像 | fó xiàng | statue of the Buddha |
| 寺庙 | sì miào | temple |
| 拜佛 | bài fó | to pray to the Buddha |
| 烧香 | shāo xiāng | to burn incense |
| 念经 | niàn jīng | to chant scriptures |
| 素食 | sù shí | vegetarian food |
| 莲花灯 | lián huā dēng | lotus lantern |
| 放生 | fàng shēng | to release captive animals |
| 慈悲 | cí bēi | compassion |
| 和尚 | hé shang | Buddhist monk |
Usage tips
- In Singapore and Malaysia, Chinese speakers call the day 卫塞节 (wèi sài jié), Vesak, a public holiday usually in May, while Hong Kong has a public holiday for 佛诞 on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.
- 佛祖 (fó zǔ) and 释迦牟尼 (Shì jiā móu ní) both refer to the historical Buddha; 佛祖 is the everyday reverent term, while 佛 (fó) on its own can mean any Buddha.
- 烧香 (shāo xiāng) and 拜佛 (bài fó) go together: visitors usually hold the incense sticks in both hands and bow three times before placing them in the burner.
Common mistakes
- Addressing a monk as 和尚 → 和尚 (hé shang) is the everyday word for a Buddhist monk, but to address one politely say 师父 (shī fu) or 法师 (fǎ shī).
- Reading 释迦牟尼 as Shì jiā mù ní → 牟 is móu, so it's Shì jiā móu ní.
Mini dialogue
- A明天是佛诞节，我奶奶要去寺庙拜佛。Míng tiān shì fó dàn jié, wǒ nǎi nai yào qù sì miào bài fó.It's Buddha's Birthday tomorrow, and my grandma's going to the temple to pray.
- B寺庙里会有什么活动？Sì miào li huì yǒu shén me huó dòng?What happens at the temple?
- A大家排队给佛像浴佛，听和尚念经，中午吃素食。Dà jiā pái duì gěi fó xiàng yù fó, tīng hé shang niàn jīng, zhōng wǔ chī sù shí.People queue to bathe the Buddha statue and listen to the monks chanting, and there's vegetarian food at lunch.
- B听起来很有意思，我能一起去吗？Tīng qǐ lái hěn yǒu yì si, wǒ néng yī qǐ qù ma?Sounds interesting. Can I come along?
Example sentences
- 佛诞节在农历四月初八。Buddha's Birthday is on the 8th of the 4th lunar month.
- 在中国，佛诞节也叫浴佛节。In China, Buddha's Birthday is also called the Bathing the Buddha Festival.
- 大家排队给佛像浴佛。People queue to bathe the Buddha statue.
- 佛祖出生在两千五百多年前。The Buddha was born over 2,500 years ago.
- 释迦牟尼是佛教的创始人。Shakyamuni founded Buddhism.
- 寺庙里有很多佛像。There are lots of Buddha statues in the temple.
- 佛诞节寺庙里人很多。Temples are packed on Buddha's Birthday.
- 奶奶去寺庙拜佛。Grandma goes to the temple to pray.
- 很多人在烧香。Lots of people are burning incense.
- 和尚们在念经。The monks are chanting.
- 佛诞节吃素食。People eat vegetarian food on Buddha's Birthday.
- 晚上放莲花灯。Lotus lanterns are floated in the evening.
- 有人在河边放生。Some people release animals by the river.
- 佛教讲慈悲。Buddhism teaches compassion.
- 和尚给大家讲佛法。The monk talks about the Buddha's teachings.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Buddha's Birthday (Vesak) to prepare your own answers to.