Chinese word

扫墓

Pronunciation

Pinyinsǎo mù

Meaning

  • verbvisit graves

Example

清明节我们会去扫墓。qīng míng jié wǒ men huì qù sǎo mù

We visit graves during the Qingming Festival.

Illustration for 扫墓 (visit graves)

More examples

他每逢祭日都会到祖坟扫墓，为先人除草。tā měi féng jì rì dū huì dào zǔ fén sǎo mù wèi xiān rén chú cǎo

On every memorial day, he goes to his ancestors' graves to pay his respects and clear away the weeds.

Core concept

A family visit to an ancestor's grave that joins physical cleaning with remembrance and respect.

Common phrases

  • 在墓前扫墓zài mù qián sǎo mù

    pay respects at a grave

  • 每年扫墓měi nián sǎo mù

    visit graves every year

Similar words

上坟shàng fén: Go to a grave for an ancestor and honor them with offerings.
祭祖jì zǔ: Observe ancestral rites by offering gifts and showing respect to one's ancestors.
祭拜jì bài: Offer worship before a grave or altar to honor ancestors or deities.
拜祭bài jì: Perform a memorial ceremony at a grave or ritual site with offerings and prayers.

Definition in Chinese

前往祖先的墓地，清扫墓地并进行献花、烧香等祭拜，以表示对先人的缅怀与敬意。qián wǎng zǔ xiān de mù dì qīng sǎo mù dì bìng jìn xíng xiàn huā shāo xiāng děng jì bài yǐ biǎo shì duì xiān rén de miǎn huái yǔ jìng yì

Word origin

扫 (sǎo, "sweep away") + 墓 (mù, "grave") forms a compact verb for the cleaning and memorial acts carried out at a grave.

Usage tips

  • In English, a grave visit can sound like a brief stop, while this Chinese verb normally presents a family memorial practice with care for the grave as part of the visit.

Other meanings

  • clean gravesverb
  • pay respects to ancestorsverb

Word lists with this word