祭台 (jì tái) — altar (for religious or sacrificial ceremonies)

Definition

noun

altar (for religious or sacrificial ceremonies)

Measure word · 座

祭台。
Jiào táng lǐ yǒu yí gè hěn dà de jì tái.
There is a very large altar in the church.
祭台。
Gǔ dài rén yòng jì tái lái jì sì shén líng.
Ancient people used altars to worship the gods.
祭台。
Shén fù zhàn zài jì tái qián qí dǎo.
The priest stood before the altar and prayed.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

祭jìsacrifice

台táiplatform

“祭” (sacrifice) and “台” (platform) combine to mean a platform for ritual offerings.

Characters in this word

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

祭 shows 又 (hand) offering 肉 (meat) at 示 (altar/ceremony).

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臺; 台 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 台 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (窗台, 电视台) it is 臺; in others (台灯, 台球) (台风) it is 檯 or 台 or 颱.

The traditional form 臺 is the 喬 + 室 form; earlier versions combined a sound part with 室, and an old reading saw it as a watch tower.