Chinese word

坛

Pronunciation

Pinyintán

Meaning

  • nounaltar

Example

大家在坛前祭拜。dà jiā zài tán qián jì bài

Everyone worships in front of the altar.

Illustration for 坛 (altar)

More examples

孩子们把供品放在祭坛上。hái zi men bǎ gòng pǐn fàng zài jì tán shàng

The children placed the offerings on the altar.

Core concept

A marked space that sets something important apart, either by raising it for view or enclosing it for storage.

Common phrases

  • 祭坛jì tán

    altar

  • 坛前tán qián

    in front of the altar

  • 向坛献花xiàng tán xiàn huā

    offer flowers at the altar

  • 坛上点香tán shàng diǎn xiāng

    light incense on the altar

Similar words

祭坛jì tán: A raised altar where offerings are placed for religious rites.
讲坛jiǎng tán: A platform where a speaker stands to give a speech or lecture.
讲台jiǎng tái: A small platform where a teacher or presenter stands to speak.
论坛lùn tán: A meeting or online space for discussion and sharing ideas.

Definition in Chinese

原指用于祭祀的高台，后引申为演讲或讨论等的讲台、平台。yuán zhǐ yòng yú jì sì de gāo tái hòu yǐn shēn wèi yán jiǎng huò tǎo lùn děng de jiǎng tái píng tái

Word origin

The altar sense of 坛 (tán, "altar, platform, or jar") comes from an older word for a platform of raised earth, while the jar sense comes from a separate word for a large earthenware vessel.

Usage tips

  • English often separates altar, platform, forum, and jar into unrelated words, so grouping compounds by ritual, speech, discussion, or storage context helps reveal the intended meaning.

Other meanings

  • forumnoun
  • jarnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word