incense and candles; temple keeper; descendants
Meanings
4 senses · 9 examplesnoun
the burning tip of incense (stick, coil, or thread incense)
Refers to the small flame or ember at the end of a burning incense stick.
Be careful with the burning incense so you don't burn your hand.
The smoke from the burning incense rose curling upward.
noun
incense and candles (used in religious worship)
A collective term for offerings used in Buddhist or Taoist worship.
This temple has abundant incense offerings (is very prosperous).
They took incense and candles to worship Buddha.
noun
temple keeper; acolyte who tends to incense
archaicAn old-fashioned term for the person responsible for maintaining a temple and its offerings.
The keeper of this ancient temple is an old man.
He worked as a temple keeper when he was young.
noun
descendants; heirs; continuation of the family line
Figurative usage referring to the continuation of a family line, often used in the phrase '断了香火' (cut off the family line).
Their family line died out (has no descendants).
He worried about not having heirs to continue the family line.
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Pass down the family line and continue the ancestral sacrifices.