How to Write 胙 (zuò) — Meaning “Sacrificial meat”

Picture a piece of meat (月) that suddenly (乍, meaning "suddenly" in context) appears on the altar for a sacrifice. This image of meat appearing out of nowhere helps link the shape to the meaning of sacrificial meat.

Write the left radical 月 first with its three horizontal strokes and a vertical hook, then the right part 乍: start with a left-falling stroke, followed by a horizontal, a vertical, and a final horizontal. A common mistake is making the right part too wide — keep it narrow to balance the character.

All three share the 月 radical, but 胙 has 乍 on the right, 朊 has 元 (a different phonetic), and 朋 is two 月 side by side. Their meanings are unrelated: 胙 is about sacrificial meat, 朊 refers to a chemical term like "protein," and 朋 means "friend."

胙 is very rare in daily life and mainly appears in historical or classical texts about ancient rituals. Common compounds like 胙肉 (sacrificial meat) and 颁胙 (distributing sacrificial meat) are used when discussing traditional ceremonies or in literary contexts.

Common words containing 胙 include: 胙肉 (zuò ròu) — Sacrificial meat; 颁胙 (bān zuò) — To distribute sacrificial meat; 受胙 (shòu zuò) — to receive sacrificial meat in ancient rituals.