Definitions
sacrifice
Etymology
About
禋 is a phono-semantic compound: the spirit or altar radical 礻 places it in the domain of religious ceremonies and the divine, while 垔 provides the sound. It denotes an ancient sacrifice to heaven or the supreme deity, often involving the burning of fragrant wood or incense so the smoke ascends skyward. The offering is pure and reverent, reflecting solemn state and imperial rites. The radical's ritual sense paired with the phonetic anchors the character in classical theological and ceremonial vocabulary, without secular connotations.
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