Definitions
(verb)
to fix; to settle
(noun)
libation to the dead
Etymology
Pictograph of a container of wine (酋) placed on a table as an offering for a sacrificial or memorial ceremony.
About
The character "奠" derives from early ceremonial contexts where it visually represented a wine vessel set upon a stand, conveying the act of making ritual libations, an origin reflected in its compositional elements of "酉" for wine and a symbolic base. Its primary meaning centered on these concrete offerings, but over time it acquired extended abstract senses pertaining to the act of establishing or settling something firmly, as evidenced in later linguistic compounds referring to the laying of foundations. While the graphic form has maintained its essential structure, the semantic trajectory shifted from denoting a specific ritual practice to encompassing broader conceptual functions within the lexicon.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们祭奠祖先。
他奠定了基础。
公司举行了奠基仪式。
这项研究奠定了理论框架。
他们在纪念碑前奠花。
奠基于科学的方法很重要。
他的贡献为后续发展奠下了坚实基础。
在传统文化中，祭奠仪式通常包括奠酒和奠食。