U+7998 "禘" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+7998 "禘" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character that primarily refers to an ancient imperial ancestral sacrifice or offering ceremony, specifically the grand ritual performed by the Son of Heaven (the emperor) to worship the ancestors of the ruling house or, in some interpretations, the supreme deity. This character, composed of the radical for "spirit" or "sacrificial altar" (礻) and the phonetic component "帝" meaning "emperor," thus semantically links divine worship to the highest authority. In classical Chinese texts, such as the "Book of Rites" and the "Analects," the "禘" sacrifice is discussed as a profound and complex ritual, symbolizing the legitimacy of dynastic rule and the cosmological order. While rarely used in modern everyday language, it retains significance in historical and theological contexts, representing a key aspect of early Chinese religious and political thought concerning the sacred duties of monarchy.