noun
scholar monk
Historical term for a Buddhist monk who pursued scholarly learning, often traveling to China or India to study scriptures and bring back knowledge.
奈良時代には多くの学問僧が唐に渡った。
During the Nara period, many scholar monks traveled to Tang China.
Compound of 学問 (gakumon, 'learning, scholarship') and 僧 (sō, 'monk').