zai3 zi6祭祀
Jyutpingzai3 zi6
Yalejai jih
Definition
To worship ancestors, deities, or spirits through a traditional ritual to show respect and remembrance.
neutralfamilyfestival
How it's used
Formal contexts often require this term, as it carries a sense of solemnity and traditional duty. It is specifically reserved for rituals involving offerings like incense, food, or paper items, rather than casual prayer. You will frequently hear it used in relation to major festivals like Ching Ming or Chung Yeung.
Examples
Many people go to worship their ancestors during the Ching Ming Festival.
Did you go to perform the worship rituals this year?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this for casual religious activities or daily prayers, as it implies a structured, ceremonial act of remembrance. It is not interchangeable with general terms for praying or visiting a temple.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
