About
The character "祠" structurally combines the radical "示", relating to spiritual or ceremonial affairs, with the component "司", indicating management or control, thereby forming a concept of a place for regulated worship. Etymologically, it originally denoted the act of making sacrifices or offerings in early classical texts, but its meaning shifted over centuries to specifically refer to the physical buildings housing such rituals, such as ancestral halls or commemorative temples. This evolution from ritual action to ritual space was gradual, with the character's composition remaining consistent, and it maintains this focus on dedicated structures for veneration in contemporary usage.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我们去了祠堂。
这个祠堂很古老。
他们在祠堂里祭祀。
每年春节我们都去祠堂。
祠堂的建筑风格很独特。
这座宗祠历史悠久。
为了纪念祖先我们修建了祠堂。
祠堂不仅是祭祀场所也是家族聚会的中心。