祠堂 (cí táng) — ancestral hall (clan temple for ancestor worship and clan gatherings)

Definition

A 祠堂 is a clan-owned ancestral hall: a building where a whole lineage worships shared ancestors and gathers for major events. It is larger and more formal than a private household shrine (e.g. a 牌位 at home).

noun
ancestral hall (clan temple for ancestor worship and clan gatherings)
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • ，祠堂。
    Měi nián qīng míng jié, wǒ men dōu huì qù cí táng jì zǔ.
    Every Qingming Festival, we go to the ancestral hall to worship our ancestors.
  • 祠堂。
    Zhè ge cí táng yǐ jīng yǒu sān bǎi duō nián de lì shǐ le.
    This ancestral hall has a history of over three hundred years.
  • 祠堂。
    Cūn lǐ de rén dōu zài cí táng lǐ shāng liang dà shì.
    The villagers all discuss important matters in the ancestral hall.

Origin

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.

祠cíancestral temple
堂tánghall

“祠” (ancestral temple) and “堂” (hall) combine to name a hall for ancestor worship.

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
礻Written in full as示shìdivinity
Sound part声符shēngfú
司
司sī祠cí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 祠, the left part 礻 (written in full as 示) points to divinity, and the right part 司 gives the sound.

Open 祠 →

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
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng堂táng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

Open 堂 →

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