谥

諡/謚

shì

益 + 讠

Definitions

shì (bound form) posthumous name or title; (literary) to confer a posthumous name or title

shì variant of 諡|谥[shì]

Etymology phono-semantic

speech

Semantic: 讠 Phonetic: 益

About

谥 (traditional: 諡) is a phono-semantic compound for the formal bestowal of a posthumous name on royalty, nobles, or distinguished officials. The left component, simplified 讠 or traditional 言, is the speech radical, indicating a connection to words, declarations, or official pronouncements about the deceased's legacy. The right component 益 provides the sound and literally means "benefit", though its meaning does not directly carry over to the posthumous title. The character encapsulates the cultural practice of evaluating a person's entire life to assign a condensed, official evaluative epithet, an act that required formal discussion and verbal declaration by the ruling authority.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

古代皇帝都有谥号。

Gǔdài huángdì dōu yǒu shìhào.

Ancient emperors all have posthumous titles.

谥号是对死者的尊称。

Shìhào shì duì sǐzhě de zūnchēng.

A posthumous title is an honorific for the deceased.

大臣们商议给国王上谥号。

Dàchénmen shāngyì gěi guówáng shàng shìhào.

The ministers discussed conferring a posthumous title upon the king.

他的谥号反映了生前的功绩。

Tā de shìhào fǎnyìng le shēngqián de gōngjī.

His posthumous title reflects his achievements during his lifetime.

研究历史需要了解谥号的含义。

Yánjiū lìshǐ xūyào liǎojiě shìhào de hányì.

Studying history requires understanding the meaning of posthumous titles.

这位君主死后被追谥为文武皇帝。

Zhè wèi jūnzhǔ sǐ hòu bèi zhuī shì wéi wénwǔ huángdì.

This monarch was posthumously given the title of Emperor Wenwu after his death.

谥法的制定体现了儒家的价值观。

Shìfǎ de zhìdìng tǐxiàn le rújiā de jiàzhíguān.

The establishment of the posthumous title system reflects Confucian values.

虽然谥号通常由朝廷授予，但也有一些例外情况。

Suīrán shìhào tōngcháng yóu cháotíng shòuyǔ, dàn yě yǒu yīxiē lìwài qíngkuàng.

Although posthumous titles are usually conferred by the imperial court, there are some exceptions.

Related Characters

Component: 益

Component: 讠

谥