祖 zǔ ancestor
ancestor; forefather; grandfather
How to remember 祖: 礻 spirit + 且 moreover = ancestor. On grandpa's shelf, a candle burns for the spirit of a stern man in uniform, moreover our oldest known ancestor.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
祖 = 礻 spirit + 且 moreover
- 礻 spirit meaning
- 且 moreover sound
On grandpa's shelf, a candle burns for the spirit of a stern man in uniform, moreover our oldest known ancestor.
How it came to be
The oracle bone form is the right part alone, and the bronze form adds the spirit sign to it.
How it is used
- Ancestor/grandparent: 祖先 (zǔxiān) ancestors, 祖父 (zǔfù) paternal grandfather, 祖母 (zǔmǔ) paternal grandmother.
- 祖国 (zǔguó) = motherland/homeland: a patriotic, emotive term.
- 祖传 (zǔchuán) = handed down from ancestors (祖传秘方 a family secret recipe); 祖籍 (zǔjí) = ancestral hometown.
- 祖宗 (zǔzong) = forebears/ancestors (collectively, often in reverent or exasperated exclamations).