Chinese word

祭祀

Pronunciation

Pinyinjì sì

Meaning

  • verbworship

Example

他每年都会祭祀祖先。tā měi nián dū huì jì sì zǔ xiān

Every year, he worships his ancestors.

Illustration for 祭祀 (worship)

More examples

村民在庙里祭祀土地神。cūn mín zài miào lǐ jì sì tǔ dì shén

The villagers worship the earth god in the temple.

Core concept

A ceremonial bridge between a living community and its ancestors or gods, made through offerings and ritual.

Common phrases

  • 祭祀祖先jì sì zǔ xiān

    worship ancestors

  • 祭祀神灵jì sì shén líng

    worship deities

Similar words

祭奠jì diàn: Honors a dead person with offerings, a memorial rite, or words of farewell.
祭拜jì bài: Pays respect to gods or ancestors by bowing, making offerings, or praying.
祭祖jì zǔ: Prays and makes offerings to ancestors at a household altar or their graves.

Definition in Chinese

举行用来供奉祖先或神灵的仪式，献上供品以表达敬意或纪念的行为。jǔ xíng yòng lái gòng fèng zǔ xiān huò shén líng de yí shì xiàn shàng gòng pǐn yǐ biǎo dá jìng yì huò jì niàn de xíng wéi

Word origin

祭祀 (jìsì, "worship") joins 祭 (jì, "make an offering") and 祀 (sì, "perform a rite for a deity or ancestor"), so the compound centers on formal offerings rather than private belief alone.

Usage tips

  • Its formal register makes it especially useful in museum texts, news reports, and discussions of traditional practices, while casual speech often names the specific activity instead.

Other meanings

  • make offeringsverb
  • ritualnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 祭祀礼仪jì sì lǐ yíritual etiquettenoun
  • 祭祀活动jì sì huó dòngritual activitiesnoun

Word lists with this word