祠 (cí): shrine, to offer a sacrifice
祠 (cí) is a Chinese character meaning “shrine.” Outside the HSK 3.0 syllabus (CLEC 2022), it is composed of 礻 (semantic) and 司 (phonetic). It ranks #4508 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 祠 spirit. Its radical form 礻 (spirit) appears in many related characters such as 票 (piào, ticket), 社 (shè, (bound form) society), 禁 (jìn, to prohibit).
Definitions
- shrine
- to offer a sacrifice
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 祠 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 祠堂noun | cí táng | ancestral hall |
| 生祠noun | shēng cí | temple dedicated to sb still alive |
| 神祠noun | shén cí | shrine |
| 土谷祠 | tǔ gǔ cí | temple dedicated to the local tutelary god 土地神 and the god of cereals |
| 屈原祠 | qū yuán cí | Qu Yuan memorial temple on the Miluo river 汨羅江|汨罗江 at Yueyang 岳陽市|岳阳市, Hunan |
| 武侯祠 | wǔ hóu cí | temple dedicated to the memory of Zhuge Liang 諸葛亮|诸葛亮 (There is one in Chengdu, and many others in v... |
| 宗祠noun | zōng cí | ancestral temple |
| 祖祠 | zǔ cí | shrine dedicated to one's ancestors |
| 祠墓 | cí mù | memorial hall and tomb |
| 祠庙noun | cí miào | ancestral hall |
祠 appears in 10 compound words: 30 as the first character, 70 as the last, and 0 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Example Sentences
学习祠字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí cí zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Learning to write the character "祠" requires repeated practice to ensure it is written neatly.
山西晋祠再现宋代祭祀礼制 庙会演绎传统民俗
shān xī jìn cí zài xiàn sòng dài jì sì lǐ zhì miào huì yǎn yì chuán tǒng mín sú
Song Dynasty Rituals Revived at Jinci Temple in Shanxi; Temple Fair Showcases Traditional Folk Customs
山西太原:千年晋祠话寒食 文明祭祀寄哀思
shān xī tài yuán : qiān nián jìn cí huà hán shí wén míng jì sì jì āi sī
Taiyuan, Shanxi: The Millennium-Old Jinci Temple Tells the Story of the Cold Food Festival; Civilized Rituals Express Deep Condolences
...纷纷 挖土机超人林鸿森、北车英雄余家昶入祠
. . . fēn fēn wā tǔ jī chāo rén lín hóng sēn , běi chē yīng xióng yú jiā 昶 rù cí
...One after another, "Excavator Man" Lin Hongsen and "North Train Hero" Yu Jiachang were enshrined in the temple
元宵好去处|黄大仙祠元宵晚会拜月老求良缘 太空馆观罕见月全食
yuán xiāo hǎo qù chǔ huáng dà xiān cí yuán xiāo wǎn huì bài yuè lǎo qiú liáng yuán tài kōng guǎn guàn hǎn jiàn yuè quán shí
Great Places to Celebrate the Lantern Festival | Pay Homage to the Matchmaker God at Wong Tai Sin Temple and Pray for a Good Match; Witness a Rare Total Lunar Eclipse at the Space Museum
Character Family
Homophones — Characters pronounced cí
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 祠 (cí) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 祠 and 饲?
How many strokes does 祠 have?
What is the radical of 祠?
What are the components of 祠?
What are common words containing 祠?
What characters sound the same as 祠 (cí)?
Is 祠 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 祠 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.