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祭祀 (jì sì) — to offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors)

Definition

祭祀 (jìsì) is a formal verb for the overall ritual of offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors. 比 祭奠 broader in scope (covers all rites, not just memorial ones); 供奉 focuses on enshrining and tending a deity.

verb
to offer sacrifices (to gods or ancestors)

Examples

  • ，祭祀。
    Měi nián qīng míng jié, rén men dōu huì jì sì zǔ xiān.
    Every year during Qingming Festival, people offer sacrifices to their ancestors.
  • 祭祀。
    Zhè ge cūn zi zhì jīn bǎo liú zhe gǔ lǎo de jì sì xí sú.
    This village still preserves ancient sacrificial customs.
  • 祭祀，。
    Huáng dì qīn zì jì sì tiān dì, qí qiú fēng tiáo yǔ shùn.
    The emperor personally offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, praying for favorable weather.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

祭jìsacrifice
祀sìworship

祭 and 祀 both refer to rites for gods or ancestors, so the word means offering sacrifices.

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).

Open 祭 →

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shìdivinity
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì祀sì
Same sound today

祀 is made from 示, which points to divinity, and 巳, which provides the sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Religion & Belief

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