pauper's grave; public burial ground for unclaimed bodies
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
a public grave for unclaimed corpses in former times; potter's field
archaicHistorically maintained by charitable organizations or local communities to provide burial for the destitute, unidentified, or unclaimed dead. The term carries connotations of benevolence and social welfare in imperial Chinese context.
Chéng城
wài外
yǒu有
yī一
piàn片
yì义
zhǒng冢
，
zhuān专
mén门
ān安
zàng葬
nà那
xiē些
wú无
jiā家
kě可
guī归
de的
sǐ死
zhě者
。
Outside the city walls there was a potter's field specifically for burying the destitute dead.
Zhè这
xiē些
wú无
zhǔ主
shī尸
gǔ骨
bèi被
hǎo好
xīn心
rén人
shōu收
liàn殓
hòu后
，
tǒng统
yī一
mái埋
rù入
le了
yì义
zhǒng冢
。
After kind-hearted people collected these unclaimed remains, they were interred together in the public burial ground.
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Jiù旧
shí时
dì地
fāng方
xiāng乡
shēn绅
cháng常
chū出
zī资
xiū修
zào造
yì义
zhǒng冢
，
yǐ以
ān安
zàng葬
lù路
bì毙
de的
liú流
mín民
。
In former times, local gentry often funded the construction of paupers' graves to bury refugees who had died on the roads.