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陪葬 (péi zàng) — to be buried with the dead (as a sacrificial offering or person)

Definition

A historical/archaeological term for objects or people buried with the deceased as funerary offerings, especially with rulers. As a verb it is typically used passively (被迫陪葬, 用珠宝陪葬).

verb
to be buried with the dead (as a sacrificial offering or person)

Examples

  • 陪葬。
    Gǔ dài huáng dì cháng yòng jīn yín zhū bǎo péi zàng.
    Ancient emperors often had gold, silver, and jewels buried with them.
  • 陪葬。
    Zhè ge mù lǐ fā xiàn le dà liàng péi zàng de táo yǒng.
    A large number of buried pottery figurines were found in this tomb.
  • ，陪葬。
    Zài gǔ dài, nú lì cháng cháng bèi pò wéi zhǔ rén péi zàng.
    In ancient times, slaves were often forced to be buried with their masters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

陪péiaccompany
葬zàngburial

The sense of '陪' (accompany) combines with '葬' (burial) to mean being buried alongside.

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
阜阜fùsoil mountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
咅
咅pǒu陪péi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

陪 pairs 阜, a mound of piled-up soil, with 咅 as a sound part; the mound gives the sense of joining up or staying close, as in accompanying.

Open 陪 →

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

  • 茻茻mǎnggrass
  • 死死sǐdead person

In 葬, 死, a dead person, is shown in 茻, grass, to picture burying the dead in grass.

Open 葬 →
Appears in
History

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