sai6筮
Jyutpingsai6
Yalesaih
Definition
To divine using milfoil stalks; divination sticks.
datedother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the traditional practice of using yarrow stalks or bamboo slips for fortune telling. It is rarely used in modern daily speech outside of historical contexts or visits to traditional temples. Most people today would simply use the term 籤 when referring to the numbered bamboo sticks found in temple containers.
Measure word
zi1支jīExamples
He picked up a divination stick to ask about his future.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 簽, which refers to a signature or a document. While they may look similar in some contexts, 筮 is strictly reserved for the ritualistic divination tool.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
