臘

Han character

臘 (Kangxi radical 130, 肉+15, 19 strokes, cangjie input 月女女女 (BVVV), four-corner 7221₇, composition ⿰月巤(GJKV) or ⿰⺼巤(HT))

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *raːb) : semantic ⺼ (“meat”) + phonetic 巤 (OC *rab).

Etymology

Uncertain.

• Bodde (1975) cites Zheng Xuan's comment on the relation between 臘 (OC *raːb, “year-end sacrifice”) and 獵 (OC *rab, “hunt”);
• Boltz (1979) instead relates it to a much later word written with the same phonetic & meaning "to cut off, to terminate" (of a year);
• Schuessler (2007) proposes an alternative Sino-Tibetan etymology: just as the 葉 (OC *hljeb, *leb) word-family encompasses the meanings "leaf > foliage, year, generation"; so the root *râp "new year, change of year" is apparently a parallel etymon, which also is cognate with Tibetan རབས། (rabs, “generation”) (Bodman, 1980).

Pronunciation

Definitions

臘

1. year-end sacrifice to the gods
2. twelfth month of the Chinese lunar calendar
3. dried preserved meat; cured meat

   燒臘／烧腊  ―  shāolà  ―  preserved or roasted meat

   臘鴨／腊鸭  ―  làyā  ―  dried preserved duck

References

• “臘”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji)

Noun

臘(ろう) • (rō) 

1. a Buddhist ceremony held in winter on the third day of the dog
2. the twelfth month of the lunar-solar calendar
3. a year in Buddhism after one completes a meditation retreat

Hanja

臘 • (rap>nap) (hangeul 랍>납, revised rap>nap, McCune–Reischauer rap>nap, Yale lap>nap)

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Han character

臘: Hán Nôm readings: chạp, chợp, lạp, lép

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.