priests' temple quarters; monks' living quarters
Refers to the residential area within a Buddhist temple where priests or monks live. A somewhat specialized term encountered in contexts related to temple architecture or monastic life.
The old temple's priests' quarters face a quiet garden.
Standard kanji spelling for a priest's living quarters in a temple.
Variant kanji spelling using 房 (room/chamber) instead of 坊 (monk's quarters).
Compound of 僧 (monk) and 坊 (monk's quarters, boy). The spelling 僧房 uses 房 (room, chamber) with a similar meaning. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used in Japanese Buddhist contexts for centuries.