神龛 (shén kān) — a small shrine or niche for a deity, idol, or a…

Definition

A small household or temple shrine niche that holds a deity statue, idol, or ancestral tablet — a place for burning incense and offerings.

noun

a small shrine or niche for a deity, idol, or ancestral tablet

Measure word · 个

神龛。
Tā men zài jiā lǐ de qiáng shàng fàng le yí gè shén kān.
They put a shrine on the wall at home.
，神龛。
Guò nián de shí hou, nǎi nai huì zài shén kān qián shāo xiāng.
During Chinese New Year, grandmother burns incense in front of the shrine.
神龛。
Zhè zuò miào lǐ de shén kān hěn yǒu tè sè.
The shrine in this temple is very distinctive.

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.

龛kānniche

神 (god) and 龛 (niche) combine to mean a niche for a deity.

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shìgod; deity

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 龕; 龛 is its simplified writing.

合龍龕

Meaning part形符xíngfú

龍龍lóng

Sound part声符shēngfú

合

合hé龕kān

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

The traditional form 龕 has 龍 as the meaning part and 合 as the sound part.