上香

shàngxiāng

verb

Meanings

1 to offer incense
2 to burn incense (at a temple or altar)

Characters

incense, fragrant

Examples

她每逢初一十五都会去寺庙上香。

Tā měi féng chū yī shíwǔ dōu huì qù sìmiào shàngxiāng.

She goes to the temple to offer incense on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month.

上香前要先洗手。

Shàngxiāng qián yào xiān xǐ shǒu.

You wash your hands before offering incense.

Tips

culture

Practiced at both Buddhist and Taoist temples, and at home ancestral altars. Three sticks is the conventional offering — to Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in Buddhism; to heaven, earth, and ancestors in folk religion.

Stroke Order

上 shàng

香 xiāng