About
献 is the simplified version of the traditional character 獻. The traditional form is a phono-semantic compound: the right side 犬 (dog) supplies the meaning, and the left side 鬳 (an earthenware cooking vessel) indicates the sound. The combined character depicts a dog placed in a boiler as a sacrifice to ancestors or deities. Over time, the meaning expanded from offering animal sacrifices to any act of respectfully presenting something, donating, or dedicating something of value to a superior, a cause, or the public. The modern simplification replaces the complex vessel component 鬳 with the simpler character 南, while the dog radical on the right stays unchanged.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他为社会贡献了很多。
孩子们向老师献上鲜花。
他自愿献出了自己的血液。
大家都在为项目成功献计献策。
这份礼物是我献给你的祝福。
科学家将研究成果献给了全人类。
总统在典礼上发表了献词。
他将一生献给了探索真理的事业。
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