In this Joint PhD project (Sichuan University / Ghent University) the focus is on Chan (Zen) Buddhist phrases in texts of the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty periods, as examplified in vernacular key texts such as Zutang Ji 祖堂集, Jingde Chuandenglu 景德傳燈錄, Wudeng Huiyuan 五燈會元, and Guzunsu Yulu 古尊宿語錄, etc.
The material is analyzed from various angles, such as the etymology of the idiomatic phrases, their syntactic and semantic features, as well as dialect influences.
As part of the project, a selection of key phrases is input, analyzed, and translated in the Ghent Database of Medieval Chinese Texts.