祭 (jì): to offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors), (in classical novels) to recite an incantation to activate a magic weapon, to wield (sth magic), (bound form) ceremony
祭 (jì) is a Chinese character meaning “to offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors).” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of ⺼ (structural), 寸 (structural) and 示 (structural). It ranks #1765 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 祭 hand 寸 holding meat ⺼ over an altar 示. Its radical form 礻 (spirit) appears in many related characters such as 票 (piào, ticket), 视 (shì, (literary, or bound form) to look at), 示 (shì, to show).
Definitions
- to offer a sacrifice to (gods or ancestors)
- (in classical novels) to recite an incantation to activate a magic weapon
- to wield (sth magic)
- (bound form) ceremony
Etymology & Origin
ideographicHand 寸 holding meat ⺼ over an altar 示
Decomposition: ⿱⿰⺼寸示 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 祭 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 祭品noun | jì pǐn | offering |
| 祭坛noun | jì tán | altar |
| 祭祀verb | jì sì | to offer sacrifices to the gods or ancestors |
| 祭奠verb | jì diàn | to offer sacrifices (to one's ancestors) |
| 祭拜verb | jì bài | to offer sacrifice (to one's ancestors) |
| 祭礼noun | jì lǐ | sacrificial offerings |
| 祭器noun | jì qì | ritual dishes |
| 祭祖verb | jì zǔ | to offer sacrifices to one's ancestors |
| 祭文noun | jì wén | funeral oration |
| 祭司权术 | jì sī quán shù | priestcraft |
| 大祭司noun | dà jì sī | High Priest |
| 祭出 | jì chū | to brandish (a figurative weapon, i.e. some measure intended to deal with the situation) |
| 打牙祭verb | dǎ yá jì | to have a large and sumptuous meal (traditionally on the 1st and 15th of each month) |
| 主祭verb | zhǔ jì | to perform the sacrificial rites at a funeral |
| 公祭noun | gōng jì | public memorial service |
祭 appears in 34 compound words: 62 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 3 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 祭 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
祭字在日常生活中使用频率较低。
zhài zì zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng shǐ yòng pín lǜ jiào dī .
The character "祭" is not frequently used in everyday life.
离岸风电3-3期选商机制将拍板 祭“扣分制”严审实绩
lí àn fēng diàn 3 3 qī xuǎn shāng jī zhì jiāng pāi bǎn jì kòu fēn zhì yán shěn shí jì
The offshore wind power phase 3-3 business selection mechanism will be decided to strictly review the actual performance of the "deduction point system"
台中“浮现祭”2/28登场!估逾5万人潮涌入清水 交...
tái zhōng fú xiàn jì 2 2 8 dēng chǎng ! gū yú 5 wàn rén cháo chōng rù qīng shuǐ jiāo . . .
Taichung's "Emergence Festival" debuts on 2/28! It is estimated that more than 50,000 people poured into Qingshui Jiao...
年后跳槽快看!劳动部祭“课程奖励金”条件曝 最高领100万
nián hòu tiào cáo kuài kàn ! láo dòng bù jì kè chéng jiǎng lì jīn tiáo jiàn pù zuì gāo lǐng 1 0 0 wàn
Jump to work after the year! The Ministry of Labor offered "course incentives" conditions to receive up to 1 million
...公8点禁忌!踩雷衰运整年 天公是谁、最佳祭拜吉时一览
. . . gōng 8 diǎn jīn jì ! cǎi léi shuāi yùn zhěng nián tiān gōng shì shéi , zuì jiā jì bài jí shí yī lǎn
... Public 8 points taboo! Stepping on thunder and bad luck all year round Who is the god of heaven and the best time to worship auspiciousness
彭博示警 缓冲期过后祭301永久措施
彭 bó shì jǐng huǎn chōng qī guò hòu jì 3 0 1 yǒng jiǔ cuò shī
Bloomberg warns of permanent measures to sacrifice 301 after the buffer period
京都以它的祭坛和寺院而闻名。
Jīngdū yǐ tā de jìtán hé sìyuàn ér wénmíng.
Kyoto is famous for its shrines and temples.
燔柴祭天是一种古老的仪式。
Fánchái-jìtiān shì yīzhǒng gǔlǎo de yíshì.
The Heavenly Timber Immolation is a kind of ancient ritual.
祭祀结束之后，天就晴了。
Jìsì jiéshù zhīhòu, tiān jiù qíng le.
The sky cleared up after the ritual was over.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 祭 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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