烧香 (shāo xiāng) — to burn incense (as an offering)

Definition

A ritual verb: to burn incense as a religious or ancestral offering — typically at a temple (寺庙), tomb, or in front of ancestral tablets (牌位). Often signals respect, mourning, or praying for blessings.

verb
to burn incense (as an offering)

Examples

  • 烧香。
    Tā měi gè zhōu mò dōu qù sì miào shāo xiāng.
    He goes to the temple to burn incense every weekend.
  • 。
    Tā zài zǔ xiān pái wèi qián shāo le yí zhù xiāng.
    She burned one incense stick in front of the ancestral tablets.
  • 。
    Měi nián qīng míng jié tā men dōu huì shāo yí cì xiāng.
    Every Qingming Festival they burn incense once.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

烧shāoburn
香xiāngincense

“烧” expresses burning and “香” names the incense.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 燒; 烧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
火火huǒfire
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo燒shāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 燒 pairs 火 (fire) with 堯, which supplies the sound; the simplified 烧 is a shorthand.

Open 烧 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

香's early form paired 黍 (glutinous millet) with 口 (mouth), perhaps showing millet drink being taken in or offered.

Open 香 →

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