📖 Meaning
A Buddhist phrase meaning to use chanting and sutras to release the dead from the sea of suffering and guide their souls to rebirth in a better realm. By extension, it also refers to doing good deeds to help others in general.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Ming dynasty novel 《禅真逸史》 (True History of Zen) by Fang Ruhao. In the seventh chapter, a character recounts how the women urged him to watch the monks perform the 'Fang Yankou' ritual (feeding hungry ghosts) during the night ceremony at the temple, saying that releasing souls from suffering through this rite earns great merit. This scene popularized the term as a Buddhist expression for delivering beings from misery.
💡 Example Usage
他常年行善布施，说是要超度众生，积攒功德。
He has practiced charity for years, saying he wants to deliver all beings from suffering and accumulate merit.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 超度众生
- Pinyin: chāo dù zhòng shēng
- Literal Translation: deliver from suffering, all living beings
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4