祭

🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

offer sacrifice

HSK 7 N2

jì, zhài

サイ

まつ.る、まつ.り、まつり

제, 채

Depicts a hand (又) offering meat (⺼) as a sacrifice. 示 is a meaning component commonly used in spiritual-related characters.

Components

⺼ meat (side)+ 又 again+ 示 show =

祭 offer sacrifice

⺼ Iconic component

ròu meat (side)

meat

⺼ is a component form of 肉. Depicts sacrificial meat.

又 Iconic component

yòu again

and, also, again, in addition

Depicts a hand offering meat as a sacrifice.

示 Meaning component

shì show

show, manifest

Notes

Historical Evolution

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle

(~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze

Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Bronze

Mid Warring States (~300 BC)

Bronze

Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal

Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal

Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical

Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

祭

Regular

Modern

Chinese

祭 [Zhài]

surname Zhai

祭 [jì]

to offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors); memorial ceremony; (in classical novels) to recite an incantation to activate a magic weapon; (lit. and fig.) to wield

Japanese

祭り、祭まつり同音

noun festival; feast; matsuri
noun colloquial harassment by an Internet pitchfork mob; online shaming; flaming
n-suf colloquial galore (as in "goals galore"); frenzy; mania