酇

It names an old rural administrative unit of one hundred households.

The classical text tradition of the Zhouli, a work on ritual and government, places it in a hierarchy: five households formed a neighborhood, five neighborhoods a ward (里), four wards a 酇, and five 酇 formed an 鄙. A 酇長 counted households, oversaw funerals and sacrifices, summoned residents with flags and drums, and supervised seasonal farm work. For this unit, the Mandarin reading is zàn (roughly “tsan,” with a falling tone).

During the Qin and Han periods, it also appeared in county names such as 酇縣. 酇侯 was the Han title of Xiao He, and 酇白 is a classical white-wine term that uses 酇 in place of 醝. Dictionaries also record the character for a dance position and as a surname. In 酇, 邑 (written 阝 on the right) signals a settlement; 贊 supplies the sound, not its separate meaning “praise.”

酇 vs 酂: which form should I use?

酂 is simplified; 酇 is traditional.

Match the form to the Chinese text: use 酂 in Simplified Chinese, and preserve 酇 in Traditional Chinese and historical quotations. Dictionaries also record 鄼 as an alternative historical form.

䣜 is a separate graph used for a Pei place name. Historical notes discuss confusion between it and the Nanyang 酇 associated with Xiao He's title, so preserve the source character when transcribing an old name.