Definition

1. Noun:
   • Censer, incense burner: A container, often made of ceramic, metal, or stone, designed to hold burning incense sticks or incense powder. It is a common ritual object used for worship in temples, pagodas, and family altars.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Trên bàn thờ có một bình hương bằng đồng rất đẹp. (On the altar, there is a very beautiful bronze incense burner.)
  • Người ta thắp ba nén hương và cắm vào bình hương. (People light three incense sticks and place them in the censer.)

Advanced Usage

• The bình hương is a central and sacred object on a Vietnamese altar. The act of placing incense into it symbolizes the connection between the living and the spiritual world.

Variants and Related Words

• Lư hương (n): Another term for a censer, often more elaborate or larger.

  • Lư hương đá trước cửa đền. (The stone incense burner in front of the temple gate.)

• Đỉnh hương (n): A type of covered, tripod incense burner, often seen in royal or grand ceremonial contexts.

Synonyms

• Incense burner: A vessel for burning incense.
• Censer: A container in which incense is burned, especially during religious ceremonies.

Related Cultural Notes

• Bình hương is considered a vessel for the "spirit" of the altar. It is never treated disrespectfully and is often the focal point for prayers and offerings.
• The smoke from the incense in the bình hương is believed to carry prayers and wishes to ancestors or deities.

1. Censer, incense-burner