koan

American  

[koh-ahn] / ˈkoʊ ɑn /

noun

Zen.

• koans,
  plural
• koan
  plural

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.

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koan British  

/ ˈkəʊæn /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• koan
  plural
• koans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of koan

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

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Explanation

In Zen Buddhism, a koan is a surprising and often perplexing phrase that's used as a meditation tool. A well-known koan is "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" It's common in Zen Buddhist training for a teacher to present a koan to a student, often in the form of a question. Because of their paradoxical nature, koans are nearly impossible to answer, and students are expected to "sit with" them while meditating. Ideally, the koan eventually leads to enlightenment — and at the very least, it challenges the mind. The Japanese koān means "public matter for thought."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

koan koans

Cage described this as an example of the celebrated Zen koan about reality: First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

In Qatar, he addressed human rights concerns with a bizarre first-person koan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

It sounds like a koan but isn’t that far from reality.

From Slate ● Mar. 18, 2026

Disentangling the way we perceive silence is like a Zen koan for neuroscientists—they must literally confront the sound of one hand clapping.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 10, 2023

I bet if I did, he’d suggest meditation or come out with some Zen koan to counteract it.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

But the best of them, when you really turn them over, are as profound as Zen koans: “If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”

From New York Times ● May 11, 2023

Most of those vibes emanate from the company’s affable, Zen-minded CEO, Phil Knight, a wearer of track suits and spouter of Buddhist koans played by Affleck himself as the risk-averse yin to Sonny’s reckless yang.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2023

Couplets like “Desperately, I / complicate your life” and “Can I be happy / in this world?” serve as koans that help listeners strive for deeper understanding.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 29, 2023

This, on the fourth song, “Under the Table,” was where the album really opened up for me: jazz koans meet protest chants meet children’s song sweetness.

From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2020

See has the X nature, Discordianism, zen, ha ha only serious, koan, AI koans.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele

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