ziu3醮

Jyutpingziu3

Yalejiu

Definition

To perform a sacrificial ceremony, especially Taoist or Buddhist; or, historically, for a woman to remarry.

to perform a Taoist or Buddhist sacrificial ritual
archaicfor a woman to remarry

colloquialfestivalpeople

How it's used

Primarily used in the context of traditional Taoist rituals known as 打醮, which are community festivals involving offerings and prayers to deities. While the meaning of marrying is historically rooted, it is now considered archaic and is rarely used in modern speech except in specific literary or idiomatic contexts. When referring to marriage, it specifically carries a sense of a woman entering into a union, often implying a formal or traditional ceremony.

Examples

ni1呢dou6度haa6下go3個jyut6月wui2會daa2打ziu3醮，hou2好jit6熱naau6鬧㗎。

There will be a Taoist ceremony here next month, it will be very lively.

keoi5佢gam1今nin4年dou1都mei6未ziu3醮，m4唔sai2使gam3咁gap1急zyu6住。

She hasn't married yet this year, no need to be in such a rush.

Common phrases

daa2打ziu3醮

to perform a Taoist sacrificial ceremony

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 醮 in the sense of dipping food into sauce, which is a different character often written as 蘸 in standard Chinese but sometimes conflated in informal writing.