(colloquial) A bald or shaved head, like that of a monk; a buzz cut

to do one's job mechanically or hold a position passively without any initiative or long-term interest

literally translated as "be a monk for a day and strike the bell for a day"; used to describe doing one's job mechanically, or just doing what is required without any initiative or enthusiasm

Literally "a monk holding an umbrella"; a pun meaning "without law and without heaven" because the monk has no hair (sounds like "law") and the umbrella covers the sky. It describes someone who defies laws and morality, meaning [[无法无天|無法無天|wu2 fa3 wu2 tian1]].

Literally "a monk holding an umbrella—no hair and no sky", a play on words where "no hair" [[无发|無髮|wu2 fa4]] sounds like "no law" [[无法|無法|wu2 fa3]], and the umbrella blocks the sky; used to describe someone who is completely lawless and defies all rules or principles.

to insult or criticize someone indirectly by aiming the abuse at a third party; literally "to stand in front of a monk and curse a 'bald-headed bandit'"

A bird known for its colorful crest and its call which resembles a monk chanting scriptures; its tongue can be clipped to teach it how to speak.

(proper noun) An iconic 10th-century Chinese Zen monk who is considered an incarnation of the future Buddha [[弥勒|彌勒|mi2 le4]]; commonly known as the Laughing Buddha, he is depicted as a fat, jolly figure carrying a large cloth bag.

(idiom) to insult indirectly or criticize someone obliquely; literally "to point at a monk while cursing a bald man"

the character Sha Wujing from the classic novel "Journey to the West"; also known as Friar Sand or Sandy

([[歇后语|歇後語|xie1 hou4 yu3]]) an old monk rings the bell—taking things one day at a time, completed by [[过一日是一日|過一日是一日|guo4 yi1 ri4 shi4 yi1 ri4]]; used to describe living or working aimlessly without long-term plans or just getting by

A Buddhist monk who does not follow religious rules or rituals, such as by eating meat or drinking alcohol.

the monk may run away, but the temple cannot; to be unable to escape because one's base or belongings are known

Literal meaning "the monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him"; you can hide or run away for now, but you will have to return eventually and be caught or held responsible

The monk can run away but the temple stays behind; used to mean that even if someone flees, they have roots or property left behind that will eventually lead to them being caught or held accountable.

The monk can run away, but the temple won't run with him; used to mean that someone can hide or flee for a while, but they cannot escape their responsibilities or avoid being caught in the end because their home or place of work is known.

the monk can run away but the temple cannot; literal sense meaning that even if an individual flees, they can still be tracked down through their affiliations or home base

the monk can run away but the temple cannot; literal sense meaning that while a person may flee, their responsibilities or their base of operations cannot be easily moved or hidden, making eventual discovery or accountability inevitable

literally 'the monk from afar is better at chanting scriptures'; used to describe a bias where people value outside experts or foreign talent more than local people

to value people or things from afar more than local ones; literally, a monk from afar is better at chanting scriptures

Completely puzzled or unable to understand the cause or development of a situation; first part of a two-part allegorical saying (xiehouyu) with the punchline [[摸不着头脑|摸不著頭腦|mo1 bu5 zhao2 tou2 nao3]]

Jianzhen (688-763), a Tang Dynasty Buddhist monk who crossed to Japan after multiple failed attempts and became a highly influential figure in Japanese Buddhism; also known as Ganjin in Japanese

To be completely baffled or unable to make head or tail of a situation; literally describes being unable to touch the head of a monk who is two [[丈|丈|zhang4]] (about 6.6 meters) tall.

Literally "three monks have no water to drink"; an idiom meaning that when too many people are responsible for a task, nobody actually does it.

lit. three monks have no water to drink; a proverb meaning that when too many people are responsible for a task, nobody actually does the work.