寺

Government administrative bureau or court of law; later, a Buddhist monastery (viewed as an organized institution/establishment).

Noun of place. Frequently functions as a suffix in the proper names of specific government agencies or judicial bodies.

Contrast with 廟 (ancestral temple for lineage, filial rites, or state rituals) and 宮 (palace, denoting residency and sovereign power). Also distinguished from 院 (courtyard/enclosure), though the two are often paired as 寺院 to describe a monastic physical complex.

Usage is divided by chronology: Early Imperial/Pre-Buddhist usage denotes places of state authority and judicial processing; Post-Buddhist usage refers to monasteries.

Exercise caution regarding chronology; applying the Buddhist meaning to a pre-Buddhist early text is a critical error.