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{%type%} Definitions

WordNet 3.0Copyright Princeton University
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Short "hint"

n. - A paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution.

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Usage examples (38)
  • 4 The koan is the principal form of meditation practiced by the Rinzai sect.
  • Subtly implied in this Zen "koan" (perhaps through the
  • "koan," a type of story, about a young woman who seems to lead two separate existences at the same time.
  • A koan says you have to trust that poetic quality.
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  • The "Cohen" (a member of the Jewish priestly class) pondered the "koan" (a paradox posed to a student of Zen Buddhism to help bring about enlightenment) as he ate his ice cream "cone" (a geometric solid with a circular base tapering to a point opposite th
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