Guan Yin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Guan Yin
Guan Yin shown as a sea goddess riding a dragon. Photographed by Günter Trageser on April 4th, 2005.
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	觀音
Simplified Chinese	观音
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guānyīn Wade–Giles Kuan1-yin1 Wu Suzhounese Kue阴平 In阴平 Gan Romanization Guon In Hakka Romanization Guān Rhīm Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gūnyām Jyutping Gun1 Jam1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Koan-im
Full Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	觀世音
Simplified Chinese	观世音
Literal meaning	"[The One Who] Perceives the Sounds of the World"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guānshìyīn Wade–Giles Kuan1-shih4-yin1 Wu Suzhounese Kue阴平 Syu阴去 In阴平 Hakka Romanization Guān Shè Rhīm Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gūnsai Yām Jyutping Gun1 Sai3 Jam1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Koan-sè-im
Burmese name
Burmese	ကွမ်ယင်မယ်တော်
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Quan Âm Quán Thế Âm
Hán-Nôm	觀音 觀世音
Thai name
Thai	กวนอิม
Korean name
Hangul	관음 관세음
Hanja	觀音 觀世音
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Gwan-eum Gwan-se-eum
Japanese name
Kanji	観音 觀音 観世音 観音菩薩 観自在
Transcriptions Romanization Kannon Kanzeon Kwannon (archaic) Kanjizai
Sinhala name
Sinhala	නාථ දෙවියෝ
Tibetan name
Tibetan	སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས

Guan Yin (also spelled Kwan Yin) is a very important figure in Buddhism. She is known as the Bodhisattva of kindness and mercy. Her full name, Guanshiyin, means "The One Who Hears the World's Cries." She is loved by many people in both Eastern and Western cultures.

Guan Yin can appear in many different forms. She can be seen as male or female, and as an adult or a child. She can even appear as a human or a non-human. This allows her to help people in many ways.

Guan Yin's Names in Asia

Guan Yin is known by different names in various Asian countries:

• In Macau, Hong Kong, and southern China, she is called Kwun Yum or Kun Yum.
• In Japanese, she is called Kannon (観音) or Kanzeon (観世音).
• In Korean, she is known as Gwan-eum (관음) or Gwanse-eum (관세음).
• In Thai, her names include Kuan Im (กวนอิม) and Phra Mae Kuan Im (พระแม่กวนอิม).
• In Indonesian, she is called Kwan Im or Dewi Kwan Im. The word Dewi means "Goddess." Sometimes she is called Mak Kwam, which means "Mother Kwan Yin."
• In Vietnamese, people call her Quan Âm or Quán Thế Âm Bồ Tát.
• In Khmer, she is called "Preah Mae Kun Ci Iem".
• In Tibet, she is known as Chenrezig. The Dalai Lama is often seen as a modern form of Chenrezig.

How Guan Yin is Shown

Depiction of Guan Yin in Vietnam.

The Threefold Lotus Sutra is an important Buddhist text. It says that Guan Yin is a Bodhisattva who can take any form. She can change into a male, female, adult, or child. She can even become a human or a non-human. This is so she can teach the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) to everyone. The Threefold Lotus Sutra mentions that Guan Yin has 33 different forms. Seven of these forms are female.

In the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), Guan Yin was often shown as male. Later, images and statues began to show her as both male and female. This was because of the Lotus Sutra. Around the 12th century, Guan Yin started to be shown mostly as female. This is because she represents kindness and compassion. She is also seen as a mother-goddess and a protector of mothers and sailors. Today, Guan Yin is often shown as a beautiful young woman in white robes. This image comes from an older form called Pandaravasini.

In China, Guan Yin is usually shown as young and beautiful. She wears white robes and a necklace fit for royalty. In her left hand, she holds a vase with the elixir of immortality. In her right hand, she holds a willow branch. Guan Yin also wears a crown with an image of Amitabha Buddha.

Guan Yin is a key character in Journey to the West. This is one of the four most famous Chinese stories. It tells the story of a monk named Chen Hui from the Tang Dynasty. He goes on a long journey to India with three companions. Guan Yin helps him by recruiting Monkey King (Sun Wukong) to join the journey. She also helps by getting Zhu Bajie (Pigsy) and Sha Wujing (Sandy) to protect Chen Hui.

Related Topics

• Bodhisattva

Images for kids

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  Shrine to a Tang Dynasty (896) carved stone statue of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin (Chinese: Qianshou Guanyin) in Shengshui Temple (內江聖水寺) in Neijiang, Sichuan, China

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  Amoghapāśa Lokesvara (Japanese: Fukūkenjaku Kannon) with devas Brahma and Indra on either side dated to late 8th century) located at Tōdai-ji, Nara, Japan.

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  Chapter 25: The Universal Gateway of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Published in Edo period)

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  Guanyin as a male bodhisattva. Eleven faced Ekādaśamukha form. Japan, 12th century

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  Shrine to a statue of Ekādaśamukha, or the Eleven-Headed Guanyin (Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn) in the Drum Tower of Qita Temple (七塔寺) in Yinzhou, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China

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  This wooden statue of Quan Âm Nghìn Mắt Nghìn Tay (Quan Am Bodhisattva with 1000 eyes and 1000 hands) was fashioned in 1656 in Bắc Ninh Province, northern Vietnam. It is now located in the History Museum in Hanoi.

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  Statue of Cundī Guanyin (Zhǔntí Guānyīn) with 18-arms from the Mahavira Hall of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

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  Shrine to Cintāmaṇicakra Guanyin (Rúyìlún Guānyīn) in the Hall of Great Compassion in Jade Buddha Temple; Shanghai, China

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  Chinese porcelain statue depicting Guanyin, Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 AD)

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  Statue of Ekādaśamukha or the Eleven-Headed Guanyin (Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn) in Bukenqu Guanyin Yard ^[zh] (不肯去觀音院) in Putuoshan, Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China

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  An Altar of Guanyin Worship

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  Guanyin Shan (Guanyin Mountain) temple in Dongguan, China.

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  A Chinese Ming dynasty porcelain figure of Guanyin.

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  Shrine to a statue of Ekādaśamukha, or the Eleven-Headed Guanyin (Shíyīmiàn Guānyīn) in Huayan Temple (華嚴寺); Datong, Shanxi Province, China

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  A Chinese folk religion temple devoted primarily to the goddess Guanyin, in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia.

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  Blessed Virgin Mary, disguised as Kannon, Kakure Kirishitan, 17th century. Salle des Martyrs, Paris Foreign Missions Society.

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  Chinese Madonna. St. Francis' Church, Macau.

See also

In Spanish: Guan Yin para niños