歃 (shà): to sip; to drink (especially bl…

Meanings

诸侯歃血为盟。

Zhūhóu shàxuè wéi méng.

The lords smeared blood on their lips and swore an alliance.

古代盟誓时歃少许血以示诚意。

Gǔdài méngshì shí shà shǎoxǔ xuè yǐ shì chéngyì.

In ancient oath ceremonies people drank a little blood to show sincerity.

culture

歃 lives almost entirely in 歃血为盟: parties to an alliance would sip (or smear on their lips) the blood of a sacrificed animal to seal a binding oath.

radical

欠 qiàn

to open the mouth; to lack

欠 is the radical showing an open mouth breathing out. It links 歃 to drinking and sipping, the act of taking blood into the mouth in an oath.

phonetic

臿 chā

phonetic element (a pestle in a mortar)

The left side 臿 supplies the sound, drifted to shà. It originally pictured pounding in a mortar, a faint echo of taking something into the mouth.

歃 shà