衆しゅ生じょう

also: しゅうせい · すじょう

しゅ

じょ

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

all living beings; sentient beings

Buddhism

Buddhist term referring to all sentient beings, including humans, animals, and other life forms. In broader contexts, it can also mean 'the people' or 'mankind'.

仏ぶっ教きょうでは、すべての衆しゅ生じょうに仏ぶっ性しょうがあると説とく。
Buddhism teaches that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.
この経きょう典てんは、苦くるしむ衆しゅ生じょうを救すくうための教おしえである。
This sutra is a teaching for saving suffering sentient beings.

See all 37 example sentences ›

Kanji

衆masses, great numbers, multitude
生life, genuine, birth

Related words

生いき物もの
生き物 is a general term for living creatures, while 衆生 is a specifically Buddhist term for sentient beings.
有う情じょう
有情 is another Buddhist term for sentient beings, often used interchangeably with 衆生, but 衆生 is more common in modern Japanese.

Word family

一いっ切さい衆しゅ生じょう
all living beings
衆しゅ生じょう済さい度ど
salvation of all beings; leading all to enlightenment

Written forms

衆生Usage100%
- しゅじょう
  Standard kanji form; the most common reading is しゅじょう.
- しゅうせい
  Alternate reading; less common than しゅじょう.
- すじょう
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete kana usage; marked as out-dated.
すじょう
out-dated reading
しゅうせい

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 衆生 (tsyuwngH sraeng, 'all living beings'), a translation of Sanskrit sattva or Pāli satta. The term is deeply rooted in Buddhist philosophy.