Definitions

méi heir-requesting sacrifice

Etymology

About

禖 is an ancient ceremonial sacrifice to seek children or an heir. This phonetic-semantic compound uses the semantic radical 示 (altar/spirit) on the left, associated with religious rites. The phonetic component 某 (mǒu) on the right provides the pronunciation. Its structure combines the indicator for sacrifice with a sound element to denote this specific fertility ritual.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern