祈福 (qí fú) — to pray for blessings | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal/literary verb for praying to a deity for blessings or safety, typically performed at temples. Stronger and more ritual than the everyday 祈祷 (qídǎo), which is more general personal prayer.

verb

to pray for blessings

Examples

，祈福。
Měi nián chūn jié, hěn duō zhōng guó rén dōu huì qù sì miào qí fú.
Every Spring Festival, many Chinese people go to temples to pray for blessings.
，。
Tā zhàn zài shén xiàng qián, mò mò qí le yí gè fú.
He stood before the idol and silently prayed for a blessing.
祈福。
Wǒ men wèi jiā rén de píng ān qí fú.
We pray for the safety of our family.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

福fúblessings

祈 (pray) and 福 (blessings) combine to mean to pray for blessings.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

示示shìaltar

Sound part声符shēngfú

斤

斤jīn祈⁰qí

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

祈 has 示, an altar, on the left; 斤 on the right gives the character its sound.

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

畐

畐fú福fú

Same sound today

福 combines 示 and 畐, with 示 carrying the meaning and 畐 the sound.

Appears in

Religion & Belief

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