八万四千 bā wàn sì qiān Eighty-four thousand

Explanation

本为佛教表示事物众多的数字，后用以形容极多。

Originally a Buddhist number representing a large number of things, later used to describe a vast quantity.

Origin Story

在佛教经典中，八万四千是一个经常出现的数字，它象征着宇宙的浩瀚无垠和佛法的博大精深。相传，释迦牟尼佛在成佛后，为了度化众生，宣扬佛法，他讲经说法，深入浅出，阐述了八万四千种不同的法门，以适应不同根性众生的需求。这些法门如同星罗棋布，遍布世间，引导众生走向解脱的彼岸。八万四千，也代表了众生的烦恼和执着，只有通过修行，破除这些烦恼，才能最终获得解脱。因此，八万四千不仅是一个数字，更是一个象征，象征着佛法的广博和修行之路的漫长而艰辛。

zài fó jiào jīng diǎn zhōng,bā wàn sì qiān shì yīgè jīng cháng chū xiàn de shù zì,tā xiàng zhēng zhe yǔ zhòu de hào hàn wú yín hé fó fǎ de bó dà jīng shēn.xiāng chuán,shì jiā mó ní fó zài chéng fó hòu,wèi le dù huà zhòng shēng,xuān yáng fó fǎ,tā jiǎng jīng shuō fǎ,shēn rù qiǎn chū,chǎn shù le bā wàn sì qiān zhǒng bù tóng de fǎ mén,yǐ shì yìng bù tóng gēn xìng zhòng shēng de xū qiú.zhè xiē fǎ mén rú tóng xīng luó qí bù,biàn bù shì jiān,yǐn dǎo zhòng shēng zǒu xiàng jiě tuō de bǐ àn.bā wàn sì qiān,yě dài biǎo le zhòng shēng de fán nào hé zhí zhuō,zhǐ yǒu tōng guò xiū xíng,pò chú zhè xiē fán nào,cái néng zuì zhōng huò dé jiě tuō.yīn cǐ,bā wàn sì qiān bù jǐn shì yīgè shù zì,gèng shì yīgè xiàng zhēng,xiàng zhēng zhe fó fǎ de guǎng bó hé xiū xíng zhī lù de màn cháng ér jiān xīn

In Buddhist scriptures, eighty-four thousand is a frequently appearing number, symbolizing the vastness of the universe and the profundity of Buddhist teachings. Legend has it that after Buddha attained enlightenment, to save sentient beings and spread the Dharma, he gave lectures and discourses, clearly and thoroughly expounding eighty-four thousand different Dharma gates to suit the needs of beings of different dispositions. These Dharma gates are as numerous as stars spread across the world, guiding sentient beings towards the shore of liberation. Eighty-four thousand also represents the sufferings and attachments of sentient beings; only through practice, by removing these sufferings, can liberation finally be attained. Therefore, eighty-four thousand is not just a number, but a symbol representing the vastness of Buddhist teachings and the long and arduous path of cultivation.

Usage

用来形容数量极多。

yòng lái xíng róng shù liàng jí duō

Used to describe a very large number.

Examples

• 这其中的奥妙，不是你我所能想象的，简直就是八万四千个为什么！

  zhè qí zhōng de ào miào,bù shì nǐ wǒ suǒ néng xiǎng xiàng de,jiǎn zhí jiù shì bā wàn sì qiān gè wèi shén me！

  The mysteries of this are beyond our imagination, it's simply eighty-four thousand whys!

Related Idioms

• 无数

• 众多

Opposite Idioms

• 寥寥无几

• 屈指可数