ch'an

\\ˈchän\ noun (-s)

Usage: usually capitalized

Etymology: probably from Chinese ch'an² meditation

: a Chinese school of Mahayana Buddhism founded in the 6th century A.D. by the Indian teacher Bodhidharma that emphasizes meditation and higher contemplation as a method of salvation — the Chinese equivalent of the Japanese Zen or the Indian Dhyana

* * *

/chahn/, n. Chinese.

Zen (def. 1).

* * *

Ch'an «chahn», noun. Chinese.

1. Zen.

2. (literally) meditation.