The phrase "a guanyin" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when referring to a statue or representation of Guanyin, the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion.
Example: "In the corner of the garden, there is a beautiful guanyin that adds a serene touch to the landscape."
Alternatives: "a statue of Guanyin" or "a figure of Guanyin."
By the entrance was an altar for Guanyin, set beside a water cooler for the unfortunate, hungry souls who line up outside for hours on end.
"I'm trying to get used to it," said Ms. Cheng, 29, who was wearing a necklace with an icon of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of compassion.
Buddhists in China, who endured devastating government persecutions, often commissioned temple statues of Guanyin, a compassionate deity said to cure ailments.
Tibetan Buddhists acknowledge the Dalai Lama as the incarnation of Avalokiteshvara (Chinese: Guanyin), a bodhisattva whose home was on Mount Potala.
Figures especially were produced at the Dehua kilns, with the Buddhist goddess Guanyin being a favourite subject.
Zen Buddhism came to Japan from China, so Japanese Zen art is Chinese-inspired by default, evident in a wisp of a Muromachi painting of the deity Kannon, called Guanyin in China, on a seaside rock.
One of the four ritual sites in the tangse was a large hall where the Buddha, Guanyin, and Guandi received offerings several times a year, including at the New Year.
Following instructions, I kowtowed to the goddess Guanyin and shook a wooden container filled with long sticks until one of them escaped and fell to the ground.
Certain objects remain baffling, like a figure of the bodhisattva Guanyin that is carved from fossil mastadon ivory and is inscribed with an 11th-century date but looks suspiciously modern.
As the conversation proceeds, the ghost of Mlima performs an invisible Buddhist dance to Guanyin in the background.
