About
祠 is a phono-semantic compound. The left component, the radical 礻, anchors its meaning in the realm of religious rituals, divine worship, or ancestral ceremonies. The right component, 司, serves solely as a phonetic indicator for pronunciation. Originally, the character functioned as a verb meaning to offer seasonal sacrifices to gods or ancestors. Over time, its usage shifted, and it became primarily a noun denoting the physical site of such worship, an ancestral temple or shrine.
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。