Babu, Bābū, Bā bù, Ba bu, Bá bù: 15 definitions
Introduction:
Babu means something in Buddhism, Pali, the history of ancient India, Marathi, Hindi, biology. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Buddhism
Chinese Buddhism
1) 八不 [ba bu]—The eight negations of Nagarjuna, founder of the Mādhyamika or Middle School 三論宗 [san lun zong]. The four pairs are "neither birth nor death, neither end nor permanence, neither identity nor difference, neither coming nor going." These are the eight negations; add "neither cause nor effect"and there are the 十不 [shi bu] ten negations; v. 八迷 [ba mi].
2) 八部 [ba bu]—The eight classes of supernatural beings in the Lotus sūtra: 天 [tian] deva, 龍 [long] nāga, 夜叉 [ye cha] yakṣa, 乾闥婆 [gan ta po] gandharva, 阿修羅 [a xiu luo] asura, 迦樓羅 [jia lou luo] garuḍa, 緊那羅 [jin na luo] kinnara, 摩喉羅迦 [mo hou luo jia] mahoraga. Also called 天龍八部 [tian long ba bu] and 龍神八部 [long shen ba bu].
[The following represents an unverified English translation. For all purposes consult the original Chinese text.]
八部 [ba bu]—The Eight Classes — [Terminology/Enumeration] Refers to the eight classes of beings, such as devas and nāgas (天龍 [tian long]), or the eight classes of spirits/demons, such as gandharvas (乾闥婆 [gan ta po]).
八部—【名數】天龍等之八部眾,又乾闥婆等之八部鬼神也。
[míng shù] tiān lóng děng zhī bā bù zhòng, yòu gān tà pó děng zhī bā bù guǐ shén yě.
[ming shu] tian long deng zhi ba bu zhong, you gan ta po deng zhi ba bu gui shen ye.
[The following represents an unverified English translation. For all purposes consult the original Chinese text.]
八不 [ba bu]—Eight Noes: A technical term referring to the Eight Noes Middle Way (中道 [zhong dao]) as taught by the Three Treatises School (三論宗 [san lun zong]).
八不—【術語】三論宗所說八不中道也。
[shù yǔ] sān lùn zōng suǒ shuō bā bù zhōng dào yě.
[shu yu] san lun zong suo shuo ba bu zhong dao ye.
1) 八部 ts = bā bù p refers to [phrase] “eight kinds of demigods”; Domain: Buddhism 佛教 [fu jiao]; Notes: See 八部眾 [ba bu zhong] (FGDB '八部眾 [ba bu zhong]').
2) 八不 ts = bā bù p refers to [phrase] “eight negations”; Domain: Buddhism 佛教 [fu jiao]; Notes: See 八不中道 [ba bu zhong dao] (FGDB '八不中道 [ba bu zhong dao]') ..
Chinese Buddhism (漢傳佛教, hanchuan fojiao) is the form of Buddhism that developed in China, blending Mahayana teachings with Daoist and Confucian thought. Its texts are mainly in Classical Chinese, based on translations from Sanskrit. Major schools include Chan (Zen), Pure Land, Tiantai, and Huayan. Chinese Buddhism has greatly influenced East Asian religion and culture.
India history and geography
Bābū.—(Ep. Ind., Vol. IX, p. 316), meaning uncertain. Note: bābū is defined in the “Indian epigraphical glossary” as it can be found on ancient inscriptions commonly written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Dravidian languages.

The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Biology (plants and animals)
Babu in Arabic is the name of a plant defined with Withania somnifera in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Withania kansuensis K.Z. Kuang & A.M. Lu (among others).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Journal of Ethnopharmacology (1993)
· De la Belladone (1825)
· Methodus (Moench) (1794)
· Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2007)
· Journal of Ethnopharmacology (1994)
· Journal of Cytology and Genetics (1978)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Babu, for example health benefits, diet and recipes, chemical composition, side effects, pregnancy safety, extract dosage, have a look at these references.

This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
bābū (बाबू).—m ( H) A term of respectful compellation or mention, used by Gosavis, Byragis &c., for householders or people of the world. 2 Nursery language. A child or a doll. 3 A term of courtesy &c. See under vyāvahārika nāṃva.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Hindi dictionary
Bābū (बाबू):—(nm) an educated man, gentleman; middle class man; a clerk; ~[jī] a word of address for father; a respectable man; -[sāhaba] a tip-top person, man of fashion.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Bābu (ಬಾಬು):—
1) [noun] something dealt with in a discussion, study, writing, etc.; a subject; the matter.
2) [noun] a tangible object (as distinguished from a concept, quality, etc.); a thing.
3) [noun] (account.) a head of account.
4) [noun] a compulsory payment to be made to the government, the quantum, rate of which is deceived the rules framed by the government; tax.
5) [noun] a reglar manner, mode followed in doing, observing something.
6) [noun] anything that is given regularly, as a habit.
7) [noun] ಬಾಬುವಾರು [babuvaru] bābu vāru account-headwise.
--- OR ---
Bābu (ಬಾಬು):—[noun] a respectful mode of adressing a man of status; 'monsieur!', 'gentleman!'.
--- OR ---
Bābū (ಬಾಬೂ):—[noun] = ಬಾಬು [babu]2.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
1) Bābu (बाबु):—n. 1. father; dad; 2. a term of address to a junior male child; 3. the person with the legal right to adopt a son;
2) Bābū (बाबू):—n. 1. scholarly and honorable;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
Chinese-English dictionary
[The following represents an unverified English translation. For all purposes consult the original Chinese text.]
八不 [bā bù] [ba bu]—
The core principles for interpreting the concept of Prajñāpāramitā's emptiness (般若空義 [ban ruo kong yi]), as expounded in the book Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (中論 [zhong lun]) authored by the Buddhist thinker (佛教思想家 [fu jiao si xiang jia]) Nāgārjuna (龍樹 [long shu]) around the 2nd or 3rd century CE, are the eight negations: no production (不生 [bu sheng]), no cessation (不滅 [bu mie]), no permanence (不常 [bu chang]), no discontinuity (不斷 [bu duan]), no unity (不一 [bu yi]), no diversity (不異 [bu yi]), no coming (不來 [bu lai]), and no going (不去 [bu qu]). After its introduction to China, it became one of the important doctrines (重要學說 [zhong yao xue shuo]) of the Sanlun School (三論宗 [san lun zong]). It is also known as the "Eightfold Negations of the Middle Way (中道 [zhong dao])."
八不:約西元二、三世紀佛教思想家龍樹所撰中論一書中,詮釋般若空義的綱領,即不生、不滅、不常、不斷、不一、不異、不來、不去八種。傳入中國後,成為三論宗重要學說之一。也稱為「八不中道」。
bā bù: yuē xī yuán èr,, sān shì jì fú jiào sī xiǎng jiā lóng shù suǒ zhuàn zhōng lùn yī shū zhōng, quán shì bān ruò kōng yì de gāng lǐng, jí bù shēng,, bù miè,, bù cháng,, bù duàn,, bù yī,, bù yì,, bù lái,, bù qù bā zhǒng. chuán rù zhōng guó hòu, chéng wèi sān lùn zōng zhòng yào xué shuō zhī yī. yě chēng wèi “bā bù zhōng dào” .
ba bu: yue xi yuan er,, san shi ji fu jiao si xiang jia long shu suo zhuan zhong lun yi shu zhong, quan shi ban ruo kong yi de gang ling, ji bu sheng,, bu mie,, bu chang,, bu duan,, bu yi,, bu yi,, bu lai,, bu qu ba zhong. chuan ru zhong guo hou, cheng wei san lun zong zhong yao xue shuo zhi yi. ye cheng wei "ba bu zhong dao" .
[The following represents an unverified English translation. For all purposes consult the original Chinese text.]
拔步 [bá bù] [ba bu]—
To stride out or quicken one's pace to walk or run (拉開腳步走或跑 [la kai jiao bu zou huo pao]).
《水滸傳 [shui hu chuan]》 (Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn) Chapter Three: "Butcher Zheng (鄭屠 [zheng tu]) was furious... he grabbed a sharp boning knife (剔骨尖刀 [ti gu jian dao]) from the meat counter and jumped down with a thud. Supervisor Lu (魯提轄 [lu ti xia]) had already moved quickly into the middle of the street."
《孽海花 [nie hai hua]》 (Nièhǎi Huā) Chapter Thirty-four: "With one hand in his pocket, he pulled out a small self-defense pistol (防身的小手鎗 [fang shen de xiao shou qiang]), then took a quick step and rushed forward."
拔步:拉開腳步走或跑。《水滸傳》第三回:「鄭屠大怒,……從肉案上搶了一把剔骨尖刀,托地跳將下來。魯提轄早拔步在當街上。」《孽海花》第三四回:「一手在衣袋裡,掏出一支防身的小手鎗,拔步往前就沖。」
bá bù: lā kāi jiǎo bù zǒu huò pǎo. < shuǐ hǔ chuán> dì sān huí: “zhèng tú dà nù,……cóng ròu àn shàng qiǎng le yī bǎ tī gǔ jiān dāo, tuō de tiào jiāng xià lái. lǔ tí xiá zǎo bá bù zài dāng jiē shàng.” < niè hǎi huā> dì sān sì huí: “yī shǒu zài yī dài lǐ, tāo chū yī zhī fáng shēn de xiǎo shǒu qiāng, bá bù wǎng qián jiù chōng.”
ba bu: la kai jiao bu zou huo pao. < shui hu chuan> di san hui: "zheng tu da nu,......cong rou an shang qiang le yi ba ti gu jian dao, tuo de tiao jiang xia lai. lu ti xia zao ba bu zai dang jie shang." < nie hai hua> di san si hui: "yi shou zai yi dai li, tao chu yi zhi fang shen de xiao shou qiang, ba bu wang qian jiu chong."
八步 ts = bā bù p refers to “Babu district of Hezhou city 賀州市 | 贺州市 [He4 zhou1 shi4], Guangxi”.
1) 八部 ts = bā bù p refers to [noun] “name of Kangxi radical 12”; Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语 [xian dai han yu] , Concept: Name of part of a character 偏旁名称 [pian pang ming cheng]; Notes: 八 [ba] radical.
2) 八步 ts = bā bù p refers to [proper noun] “Babu”; Domain: Places 地方 [de fang] , Subdomain: China , Concept: District 地区 [de qu]; Notes: A district of Hezhou city 贺州市 [he zhou shi], Guangxi (CC-CEDICT '八步 [ba bu]') ..
1) 八部 [bā bù] refers to: “eight kinds of beings”.
八部 is further associated with the following language/terms:
[Related Chinese terms] 八部衆; 八衆.
[Sanskrit] aṣṭau nikāyāḥ.
[Vietnamese] bát bộ.
[Korean] 팔부 / palbu.
[Japanese] ハチブ / hachibu.
2) 八不 [bā bù] refers to: “eight negations”.
八不 is further associated with the following language/terms:
[Related Chinese terms] 八遮.
[Vietnamese] bát bất.
[Korean] 팔불 / palbul.
[Japanese] ハチフ / hachifu.
Chinese language.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): Bu, Ba, Bo.
Starts with (+24): Ba bu da zhong, Ba bu gui shen, Ba bu gui zhong, Ba bu xian shi, Ba bu zheng guan, Ba bu zhi yin, Ba bu zhong, Ba bu zhong dao, Ba bu zhong guan, Babu dikshita jade, Babu shivanarayanaghosha, Babu-jathari, Babua, Babuana, Babubaje, Babubajeko-bimdo, Babubajeko-bindo, Babudara, Babugara, Babui.
Full-text (+2017): Tian long ba bu, Shi ba bu, Ba bu chuang, Ba bu zhong, Long shen ba bu, Ba bu zhong guan, Ba bu zheng guan, Ba bu xian shi, Ba bu gui zhong, Ba bu ke yue, Ba bu qu, Ba bu zhong dao, Ba bu si yi, Shi ba bu lun, Long tian ba bu, Er shi ba bu zhong, Ba bu jing, Da hai ba bu si yi, Shi ba bu gong fa, Ba bu zheng jian.
Relevant text
Search found 91 books and stories containing Babu, Bā bù, Ba bu, Bá bù, Bābū, Bābu, Bābù, Bábù, Babus, 八不, 八步, 八部, 拔步; (plurals include: Babus, Bā bùs, Ba bus, Bá bùs, Bābūs, Bābus, Bābùs, Bábùs, Babuses). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Taisho: Chinese Buddhist Canon
Sutta 7: Eightfold Assembly < [Part 125 - Ekottara-Agama (Numbered Discourses)]
Chapter 123: The Invitation to Renounce Home < [Part 190 - The Abhinishkramana-sutra]
Chapter 19: Bodhisattva's Practice of Meditation < [Part 187 - Lalitavistara (translated by Divakara)]
A Dictionary Of Chinese Buddhist Terms (by William Edward Soothill)
Piligrim to Rangoon < [June 1945]
The Heirs of Circumstances < [July 1965]
The Price of Revolution < [July 1966]
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Between North and South < [Volume 15, Issue 9 (2024)]
Early Chinese Madhyamaka Ethics < [Volume 16, Issue 4 (2025)]
Gagaku in Medieval Japanese Religion < [Volume 13, Issue 7 (2022)]
Iconography of Buddhist and Brahmanical Sculptures (by Nalini Kanta Bhattasali)
Iconography of Vishnupattas < [Part 2 - Brahmanical Sculptures]
Iconography of Vishnu < [Part 2 - Brahmanical Sculptures]
Iconography of Gautama Buddha < [Part 1 - Buddhist Sculptures]