maya
maya — noun
1. in Hindu philosophy, the power that creates the everyday world of separate objec
in Hindu philosophy, the power that creates the everyday world of separate objects and people, hiding the single ultimate reality that lies beneath it all.
Bilal spent the lecture trying to understand how maya conceals the unity of all existence.
maya + conceals: philosophical collocation for sense 1
The teacher said maya is not empty illusion but a real force that shapes what we see.
Yuki watched the morning mist hide the far shore, wondering if maya works the same way.
Hao found it hard to accept that the world of forms could be a product of maya.
- illusion
common but imprecise translation of maya; illusion suggests something unreal, while maya is a creative power that appears real
- apparition
too narrow and ghostly; maya is a systematic world-appearance, not a fleeting vision
- veil
metaphorical term that captures the idea of concealment but lacks the creative aspect of maya
- brahman
the ultimate reality that maya conceals; brahman is the single unchanging truth behind the manifold world
用法筆記
Often capitalised (Maya) in academic writing about Hindu philosophy. The term comes from Sanskrit and is most commonly used in discussions of Vedanta and Advaita traditions.
常見錯誤
2. someone who belongs to the Indigenous peoples from southeast Mexico through nort
someone who belongs to the Indigenous peoples from southeast Mexico through northern Belize into the Guatemalan lowlands, whose ancestors created a civilisation famous for its writing, mathematics, and stone pyramids.
The Maya built impressive stone pyramids at Chichén Itzá that still draw visitors today.
the Maya + built: subject-verb collocation for the civilisation
Ezra visited a Maya village in Guatemala where women weave traditional textiles on backstrap looms.
Folake learned that the Maya developed one of the first writing systems in the Americas.
Many Maya families today still speak their ancestral language alongside Spanish.
- Mayan
often used interchangeably but more correctly refers to the language family or as an adjective; 'Maya people' is preferred for the ethnic group
用法筆記
The plural form 'the Maya' (without -s) is standard when referring to the people as a group: 'the Maya built cities'. The singular 'a Maya' refers to one individual. 'Mayan' is used as an adjective (Mayan culture) or for the language family.
常見錯誤
3. the written language used by the ancient Maya civilisation, recorded in stone in
the written language used by the ancient Maya civilisation, recorded in stone inscriptions on monuments and in a few surviving books called codices.
Kabir can read the ancient Maya script carved on the stone stelae at Copán.
read the ancient Maya script: typical verb + object pattern
Only a few books written in the Maya language survived the Spanish conquest.
Hao studied the grammar of Maya as it appears in the inscriptions from Palenque.
The Dresden Codex is a famous text written in Maya around the twelfth century.
- Classical Maya
technical term for the written language of the Classic period (250–900 CE)
- Epigraphic Maya
term used by linguists for the language recorded in inscriptions
用法筆記
This sense refers to the single written language (Classical Maya or Epigraphic Maya) found in ancient inscriptions. It is distinct from the modern spoken languages of the Maya language family, such as Yucatec Maya (sense 4).
常見錯誤
4. a modern Mayan language spoken by about 800,000 people on the Yucatán Peninsula
a modern Mayan language spoken by about 800,000 people on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and parts of Belize; also called Yucatec or Yucatec Maya.
Adisa practises Yucatec Maya with his grandmother, who speaks it fluently at home.
speaks Yucatec Maya: typical verb + language collocation
Tamar studied Yucatec Maya for a year before travelling to the Yucatán to teach.
Schools in the region now offer classes in Yucatec Maya to help preserve the language.
Jessica picked up words of Yucatec Maya while learning traditional dishes from neighbours.
- Yucatec
short form, commonly used by linguists
- Yucatec Maya
full name that distinguishes it from other Mayan languages
用法筆記
Also called Yucatec Maya or simply Yucatec. This is one of about 30 Mayan languages still spoken today. Do not confuse with the ancient written language (sense 3); Yucatec Maya is a living, spoken language with its own modern dialects.