ancestral hall; memorial hall
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
ancestral hall in a clan system
formalA building where members of a patrilineal clan gather to worship their common ancestors. Central to traditional Chinese clan culture.
Every Qingming Festival, all clan members worship their ancestors in the ancestral hall.
The Wang Clan ancestral hall in this village has a history of three hundred years.
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Tablets of successive ancestors are enshrined in the ancestral hall.
noun
memorial hall built for a public figure
formalA hall built by the public or a community to commemorate and pay respects to a notable figure, such as a national hero, sage, or founder of a trade.
This memorial hall was built to commemorate an ancient incorruptible official.
The craftsmen built a memorial hall to enshrine their patron saint, Lu Ban.
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This memorial hall for a famous person is now a site for patriotic education.