Chinese character 祱

祱 can name a small offering, a mourning rite, or a sacrifice at a gate. The recorded Mandarin readings are shuì (roughly “shway,” with a falling tone) for the first two senses and lèi (roughly “lay,” also falling) for the gate rite.

The earliest attestation for 祱 appears on bamboo slips—thin pieces of bamboo used for writing—from the ancient state of Chu during China’s Warring States period; it is catalogued as 包2.214. Related material includes 望1.63 and later transmitted texts. In the slip, 祱 appears in divination and prayer records followed by offerings, pointing to a performed rite.

What does 祱 mean when sent alone?

Ask for context; the character has several historical senses. A message containing only 祱 does not show which one is meant.

Ask whether the sender means a passage about divination, a mourning custom, or a rite at a gate. The surrounding words or source can distinguish these readings.

How do I type 祱?

Use a Cangjie input method and enter IFCRU. Cangjie is a Chinese input method; other Chinese keyboards may offer character lookup instead.

If 祱 appears as a box, the active font may lack the glyph. Switch to a CJK font that includes it; the visible shape can vary between fonts.