Customs Guide
Chinese funeral glossary
The words used at a Chinese funeral, with the characters, the Mandarin pronunciation, and a plain explanation. Cantonese and Hokkien speakers use the same characters with their own pronunciation.
Before and during the wake
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 喪禮 / 葬禮 | sāng lǐ / zàng lǐ | Funeral | The general words for a funeral and its rites. |
| 殯儀館 | bìn yí guǎn | Funeral home | Where the wake and funeral are held and the deceased is cared for. |
| 守靈 | shǒu líng | Wake or vigil | Family and friends keep watch beside the deceased, for one evening or several days. |
| 靈堂 | líng táng | Memorial hall or altar | The chapel as arranged for the wake, with the portrait, flowers, and offerings. |
| 遺像 | yí xiàng | Memorial portrait | The framed photograph of the deceased at the center of the altar. |
| 瞻仰遺容 | zhān yǎng yí róng | Viewing | Paying a last respect before the open casket. |
| 孝服 / 麻衣 | xiào fú / má yī | Mourning dress | White, black, or hemp garments worn by the immediate family. |
| 孝布 / 孝章 | xiào bù / xiào zhāng | Mourning cloth or pin | Worn by family members; the color can show the generation. |
| 簽名簿 | qiān míng bù | Guest book | Signed by each guest on arrival. |
| 喜喪 | xǐ sāng | “Joyful mourning” | The funeral of an elder who lived a long, full life, when touches of red or pink may be allowed. |
The funeral day
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 出殯 | chū bìn | Funeral procession | The day of the funeral and the journey to the cemetery or crematory. |
| 告別式 | gào bié shì | Farewell ceremony | The funeral service itself. |
| 家祭 | jiā jì | Family rites | The family pays its respects first, in order of generation and seniority. |
| 公祭 | gōng jì | Public tribute | Friends, colleagues, and organizations pay their respects after the family. |
| 三鞠躬 | sān jū gōng | Three bows | The customary gesture of respect before the portrait. |
| 叩首 | kòu shǒu | Kowtow | Kneeling and bowing to the ground, done by close family. |
| 答禮 | dá lǐ | Returning the courtesy | The family bows to thank each guest. |
| 悼詞 | dào cí | Eulogy | Words spoken in memory of the deceased. |
| 封棺 | fēng guān | Sealing the casket | The family turns away while the casket is closed. |
| 靈柩 / 棺木 | líng jiù / guān mù | Casket | Both words are used; 靈柩 is the more formal. |
| 靈車 | líng chē | Hearse | The car that carries the casket. |
| 捧相 | pěng xiàng | Carrying the portrait | The eldest son or chief mourner carries the portrait ahead of the casket. |
| 安葬 / 下葬 | ān zàng / xià zàng | Burial | Laying the casket to rest in the grave. |
| 火化 | huǒ huà | Cremation | |
| 解穢酒 | jiě huì jiǔ | The meal after the funeral | A simple meal hosted by the family; the name is Cantonese. |
Rites and clergy
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 法師 | fǎ shī | Buddhist monk or nun | Leads the chanting at a Buddhist funeral. |
| 道長 / 道士 | dào zhǎng / dào shì | Taoist priest | Conducts the rites at a Taoist funeral. |
| 牧師 / 神父 | mù shī / shén fù | Pastor / priest | Leads a Protestant service / a Catholic Mass. |
| 誦經 | sòng jīng | Chanting scripture | Recited by clergy and family during the wake and funeral. |
| 助念 | zhù niàn | Supportive chanting | Reciting the Buddha’s name beside the deceased in the hours after death. |
| 往生 | wǎng shēng | Rebirth | The Buddhist word for passing on; 往生極樂 is rebirth in the Pure Land. |
| 迴向 | huí xiàng | Dedication of merit | Offering the merit of chanting to the deceased. |
| 法事 | fǎ shì | Religious rites | A general word for Buddhist or Taoist services for the dead. |
| 破地獄 | pò dì yù | Breaking the gates of hell | A Cantonese Taoist rite to free the soul from suffering. |
| 開路 | kāi lù | Opening the road | A Taoist rite that guides the soul on its way. |
| 安息禮拜 | ān xī lǐ bài | Christian funeral service | A Protestant funeral; 追思禮拜 is a memorial service. |
| 殯葬彌撒 | bìn zàng mí sà | Funeral Mass | The Catholic funeral liturgy. |
Gifts, flowers, and offerings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 帛金 / 白包 / 奠儀 | bó jīn / bái bāo / diàn yí | Condolence money | Cash in a white envelope, given by guests to help with funeral costs. |
| 吉儀 / 回禮 | jí yí / huí lǐ | Return token | A coin and a sweet given to each guest; used the same day and not taken home. |
| 花圈 | huā quān | Wreath | A standing wreath of white or yellow flowers. |
| 花籃 | huā lán | Flower basket | A standing basket arrangement. |
| 輓聯 | wǎn lián | Memorial couplet | The pair of ribbons on a wreath naming the deceased and the sender. |
| 敬輓 | jìng wǎn | “Respectfully offered” | Written after the sender’s name on a wreath. |
| 上香 | shàng xiāng | Offering incense | Holding incense, bowing, and placing it in the urn. |
| 香爐 | xiāng lú | Incense urn | Where the incense is placed on the altar. |
| 祭品 / 供品 | jì pǐn / gòng pǐn | Offerings | Fruit, food, and tea set on the altar. |
| 金銀紙 / 冥鏹 | jīn yín zhǐ / míng qiǎng | Joss paper | Paper money burned for the deceased. |
| 紙紮 | zhǐ zhā | Paper offerings | Paper models of a house, car, and goods, burned for use in the next world. |
After the funeral
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 做七 | zuò qī | Seventh-day rites | A rite every seventh day for forty-nine days. |
| 頭七 | tóu qī | The first seventh day | The soul is believed to return home that night. |
| 七七 / 滿七 / 尾七 | qī qī / mǎn qī / wěi qī | The forty-ninth day | The last of the seventh-day rites. |
| 中陰 | zhōng yīn | The intermediate state | In Buddhist teaching, the period of up to forty-nine days between death and rebirth. |
| 百日 | bǎi rì | The hundredth day | An occasion for offerings; for many families the end of strict mourning. |
| 對年 | duì nián | The first anniversary | |
| 靈位 / 神主牌 | líng wèi / shén zhǔ pái | Memorial tablet | A tablet with the name of the deceased, kept at home or in a temple. |
| 骨灰 | gǔ huī | Ashes | Cremated remains. |
| 骨灰龕 | gǔ huī kān | Columbarium niche | Where an urn is placed. |
| 墓園 | mù yuán | Cemetery | |
| 掃墓 | sǎo mù | Tomb sweeping | Cleaning the grave and making offerings, above all at Qingming. |
| 清明節 | Qīngmíng jié | Qingming Festival | Early April; the main day for visiting graves. |
| 重陽節 | Chóngyáng jié | Chung Yeung Festival | The ninth day of the ninth lunar month; a second grave-visiting day in Cantonese custom. |
| 中元節 / 盂蘭節 | Zhōngyuán jié / Yúlán jié | Hungry Ghost Festival | The seventh lunar month, when offerings are made to the dead. |
Words in an obituary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 訃聞 / 訃告 | fù wén / fù gào | Obituary notice | The family’s formal announcement of a death and the funeral. |
| 籍貫 | jí guàn | Ancestral home | The family’s place of origin. |
| 享壽 / 享年 | xiǎng shòu / xiǎng nián | Aged | 享壽 for sixty and over; 享年 for under sixty. |
| 辭世 / 逝世 | cí shì / shì shì | Passed away | Neutral words suitable for any family. |
| 蒙主寵召 | méng zhǔ chǒng zhào | “Called home by the Lord” | Used by Christian families. |
| 節哀順變 | jié āi shùn biàn | “Restrain your grief” | The customary words of condolence. |
| 音容宛在 | yīn róng wǎn zài | “Your voice and face remain” | A phrase for wreaths and tributes. |
| 孝男 / 孝女 | xiào nán / xiào nǚ | Filial son / daughter | How the children are listed in a traditional notice. |
Last reviewed October 2026 by Wah On Funeral Home.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chinese word for funeral?
喪禮 (sāng lǐ) is the general word. 葬禮 (zàng lǐ) is also used, and 出殯 (chū bìn) is the funeral procession and the day of the funeral itself.
What is 帛金?
The condolence gift of money that guests give in a white envelope at a Chinese funeral. It is called 帛金 in Cantonese-speaking communities and 白包 or 奠儀 elsewhere.
What does 頭七 mean?
The seventh day after a death, counted with the day of death as the first day. The soul is believed to return home that night.
Whatever your family’s traditions, we will help you honor them
And we will help your guests understand them. If you have a question about any custom, or about how to blend traditions across generations and faiths, call us. We are glad to explain.