乾かん屎し橛けつ

noun

something worthless; something impure; dried shit stick

A derogatory Zen Buddhist term for something utterly worthless or impure, originally a literal 'dried shit stick' used as a koan reference to the Buddha. The traditional English translation 'dried shit stick' is now considered a mistranslation of the original Chinese. Used in highly specialized Buddhist discourse.

• 禅ぜんの公こう案あんで「乾かん屎し橛けつ」は仏ほとけの本ほん質しつを問とう象しょう徴ちょうとして使つかわれる。

  In Zen koans, 'kanshiketsu' is used as a symbol to question the essence of Buddha.

• 「乾かん屎し橛けつ」という語ごは、もともと棒ぼう状じょうに乾かん燥そうした糞ふんを指さすが、転てんじて無む価か値ちなものの比ひ喩ゆとなった。

  The word 'kanshiketsu' originally referred to a stick-shaped piece of dried excrement, but came to be a metaphor for something worthless.