俎

zǔ

且 + 仌

Definitions

zǔ a stand for food at sacrifice

Etymology

Pictograph of a sacrificial altar for food.

About

Originally a pictograph of a sacrificial altar for food, 俎 denotes a small table, chopping block, or stand used to hold meat in ritual offerings. In its modern form, the left component 仌 (bīng), though visually suggestive of ice, derives from an early depiction of meat pieces, while the right component 且 (qiě) is a pictograph of the altar. Classical texts often pair it with the tripod cauldron (鼎) to signify the preparation and presentation of sacrificial foods in state and ancestral rites. Metaphorically, it appears in idioms where one is utterly helpless, like meat on a chopping block. The character's core meaning is rooted in ancient butchery and ritual food display.