六根清净
liù gēn qīng jìng
free from all worldly desires (in Buddhism, the six senses are pure)
Character by character
六liù
six
six
根gēn
roots
roots
清qīng
pure
pure
净jìng
clean
clean
Example
他戒了烟，戒了酒，连手机游戏都删了，笑着说自己现在六根清净了。
He has given up smoking and drinking and even deleted his phone games, and jokes that he is now free of all worldly desires.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
The six roots (六根) are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, through which desire enters; when all six are 清净 a person is free of craving. Said seriously of monks and nuns, but very often as a joke about someone who has given up pleasures or keeps out of trouble. Write 净 (pure), not 静 (quiet): compare 清静 in this lesson.
Learn this in Lesson 244 · HSK 9+: 少林寺 (The Shaolin Temple)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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