koan

[ koh-ahn ]

noun,plural ko·ans, ko·an.Zen.
  1. a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

Origin of koan

1
1945–50; <Japanese kōan, earlier koũ-an<Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese gōngàn public proposal

Words Nearby koan

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How to use koan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for koan

koan

/ (ˈkəʊæn) /


noun
  1. (in Zen Buddhism) a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution

Origin of koan

1
from Japanese

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