Definition
烧香 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to burn incense' as a religious or ancestral offering, commonly done at temples or home altars. The verb 烧 can split from the noun 香 when you insert a measure word, duration, or object between them — for example, 烧一次香 ('burn incense once') or 烧了三炷香 ('burned three incense sticks'). The practice carries cultural weight in Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, and folk religion; context matters beyond the literal action.
v.o.
to burn incense (as an offering)
Examples
- 烧香。Tā měi gè zhōumò dōu qù sìmiào shāo xiāng.He goes to the temple to burn incense every weekend.
- 。Tā zài zǔxiān páiwèi qián shāo le yí zhù xiāng.She burned one incense stick in front of the ancestral tablets.
- 。Měinián Qīngmíng Jié tāmen dōu huì shāo yí cì xiāng.Every Qingming Festival they burn incense once.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.