祠

cí
noun #46,614

Meanings

  1. 1 ancestral hall; shrine; memorial temple

Examples

HSK 6
Chéngdū de Wǔhóucí jìniàn Zhūgě Liàng.
The Wuhou Shrine in Chengdu commemorates Zhuge Liang.
HSK 7-9
Měi dào Chūnjié, zúrén zài cítáng jìzǔ.
Every Spring Festival the clan gathers at the ancestral hall to offer sacrifices.

Tips

culture
祠 is a hall for honoring ancestors or famous figures, most often 祠堂 (clan ancestral hall). Memorial shrines to honored people also use it, like the 武侯祠 dedicated to Zhuge Liang.

Components

radical
礻 shì
ritual; worship
The altar radical in its left-side form, from 示 (an altar for offerings). It marks the character as something to do with sacrifice and worship - here a shrine. It groups 祠 with 神, 祖, and 祭.
phonetic
司 sī
to manage; phonetic
司 supplies the sound (sī close to cí). It works purely as a pronunciation marker for this worship-related word, with no meaning contribution.

Stroke Order

祠 cí