smear blood on lips in ancient oath rituals
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to smear blood on the lips (in ancient oath-taking ceremonies)
archaicRefers to an ancient ritual where allies would smear the blood of a sacrificed animal on their lips to demonstrate sincerity and loyalty when forming an alliance. Most commonly encountered in the set phrase 歃血为盟.
Tā他
men们
shà歃
xuè血
wéi为
méng盟
，
jié结
wéi为
xiōng兄
dì弟
。
They smeared blood on their lips to form an alliance and became sworn brothers.
Gǔ古
dài代
zhū诸
hóu侯
huì会
méng盟
shí时
cháng常
yǒu有
shà歃
xuè血
de的
yí仪
shì式
。
Ancient feudal lords often performed blood-smearing rituals when forming alliances.
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Liǎng两
guó国
jūn君
zhǔ主
shà歃
xuè血
jié结
méng盟
，
gòng共
tóng同
duì对
kàng抗
wài外
dí敌
。
The two monarchs smeared blood to form an alliance, jointly resisting foreign enemies.