đề chủ
Definition
- Noun (Historical/Religious):
- The deceased's name inscribed on a memorial tablet: The primary meaning refers to the act of inscribing the name of a deceased person onto a wooden or paper tablet (bài vị) that is then placed on the family altar for worship.
- The memorial tablet itself: By extension, it can refer to the ancestral tablet bearing the deceased's name.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Sau tang lễ, gia đình tiến hành nghi thức đề chủ. (After the funeral, the family conducted the ritual of inscribing the memorial tablet.)
- Trên bàn thờ có đặt bài vị đề chủ của ông nội. (On the altar is placed the memorial tablet inscribed with my grandfather's name.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "đề chủ" is considered archaic and is primarily found in historical or classical texts describing traditional Confucian rituals. In modern Vietnamese, the concept is more commonly referred to simply in the context of the "bài vị" (memorial tablet).
Variants and Related Words
- Bài vị (n): memorial tablet, ancestral tablet. This is the physical object on which the name is inscribed.
- Thần chủ (n, archaic): another term for the ancestral spirit tablet.
Synonyms
- Inscribe the ancestral tablet: to write the deceased's name on the memorial tablet.
- Memorial tablet inscription: the act or result of inscribing the name.
Cultural Note
- The ritual of "đề chủ" was a significant step in traditional Vietnamese ancestor worship, formally establishing the place of the deceased's spirit on the family altar. It symbolizes the continuation of the familial lineage and the duty of remembrance.