People often say that the eighteen changes of women, so what do the eighteen changes refer to, in fact, generally speaking, the eighteen changes refer to the changes in the appearance and personality of women in the process of development, usually with the meaning of praise. Does the "eighteen" in "Eighteen Changes in the Women's University" refer to "eighteen years old" or "eighteen" changes? Not really.
According to Hu Pu'an's "Dictionary of Sayings": "All things are changeable, and they are vulgar in eighteen words." This means that "eighteen" in many cases is not a strict exact number, but refers to a wide range of things. The "eighteen" in "Eighteen Changes of the Women's University" also has this meaning.
There is also an allusion to the saying about the eighteenth change of the female college. There is a story recorded in the Jingde Chuan Lantern Record Tankong Monk Youzhou, there is a nun who wants to open a court to say the law, so she asks **okay, ** said: "The nun family does not need to open the church." The nun asked rhetorically: "What about the dragon girl becoming a Buddha at the age of eight?" * said: "The dragon girl has eighteen changes, you and the old monk change to take a look." ”
The dragon woman mentioned in the Lotus Sutra Devadattapins is a miraculous woman with great powers, changes, and finally Buddhahood. The dragon lady has the character of a bodhisattva and purifies all sentient beings. Loved by the people. From this story alone, it can also be seen that "Eighteen Changes of the Women's University" must be a compliment.