祼 (guàn) — (noun) libation offering (in ancient Chinese ritual)
Definition
祼 (guàn) is a formal, archaic term from ancient Chinese ritual texts for pouring a wine offering (libation) to ancestors or spirits. It almost always appears in compounds like 祼祭.
noun
libation offering (in ancient Chinese ritual)
Easily confused
- 裸luǒlook-alike(verb) to be naked; to be bare
- 罐guànsound-alikecan, jar, pot (container)
- 灌guànsound-aliketo pour (a liquid) into; to irrigate
- 惯guànsound-aliketo be used to; to be accustomed to (often 惯了 as a resultative complement)
- 贯guànsound-alike(classifier) string of (copper coins, originally 1000 cash)
- 鹳guànsound-alikestork (a large wading bird with long legs and a long beak)
Examples
- 《》祼。《Zhōu lǐ》 zhōng jì zǎi le guàn jì de yí shì.The Rites of Zhou record the ritual of libation sacrifice.
- ，祼。Zài shāng dài, guàn jì shì yì zhǒng zhòng yào de jì sì huó dòng.In the Shang dynasty, libation sacrifice was an important sacrificial activity.
- 祼。Kǎo gǔ xué jiā fā xiàn le yòng yú guàn jì de qīng tóng qì.Archaeologists discovered bronze vessels used for libation sacrifice.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
祼 pairs 示, an altar or deity sign, with 果 to give sound. Early forms showed a libation vessel and a hand.
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