Definitions

miào (noun) temple; shrine
miào (noun) imperial hall

Etymology

Simplified form of . Phonosemantic compound. 广 represents the meaning and represents the sound.

About

The character for temple, "庙", is the simplified form of "廟", which historically depicted a building for ancestral veneration. The traditional form "廟" structurally combines the semantic component "广", indicating a building, with "朝", which originally provided both phonetic and semantic value related to courtly or ceremonial gatherings. Its core meaning was a hall or shrine dedicated to the worship of ancestral spirits, a place for ritual observance. Over time, the term's application broadened beyond ancestral halls to encompass temples enshrining various deities, Buddhas, or even historically venerated figures, becoming a general term for such religious or commemorative structures. The simplified form "庙" replaces the complex "朝" with "由", simplifying the character while the "广" component continues to signal its architectural nature.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这座很大。

Zhè zuò miào hěn dà.

This temple is very big.

里有很多人。

Miào lǐ yǒu hěn duō rén.

There are many people in the temple.

我们去里拜佛。

Wǒmen qù miào lǐ bài fó.

We go to the temple to worship Buddha.

春节时会很热闹。

Chūnjié shí miàohuì hěn rènào.

During Spring Festival, the temple fair is very lively.

这座寺的历史很长。

Zhè zuò sìmiào de lìshǐ hěn cháng.

This temple has a very long history.

前的广场上举行活动。

Miào qián de guǎngchǎng shàng jǔxíng huódòng.

Activities are held on the square in front of the temple.

每年农历初一,人们都去里祈福。

Měi nián nónglì chūyī, rénmen dōu qù miào lǐ qífú.

Every year on the lunar New Year's Day, people go to the temple to pray for blessings.

为了保护古迹,政府对这座进行了修缮。

Wèile bǎohù gǔjī, zhèngfǔ duì zhè zuò miào jìnxíng le xiūshàn.

In order to protect the historical site, the government renovated this temple.