葬礼
zàng lǐ · HSK 7
funeral
⚰️🪦 葬礼 = 葬 bury + 礼 rite = the burial ceremony
礼 is the same 'rite/ceremony' character in 婚礼 (wedding) and 礼物 (gift). Swap the front character and you change which ceremony: 葬 marks the burial rite, the funeral.
葬 — grass 艹 + 死 (death) + 廾 (two hands)
葬 is an associative compound depicting a corpse (死) placed between grass (艹) above and below, with hands (廾) laying it to rest. It pictures an ancient burial practice of covering the dead with vegetation. The original sense 'to bury' has remained stable for millennia.
礼 — 示 (altar/ritual) + 乚 (simplified from 豊)
Originally 禮, showing 示 (altar) beside 豊 (a ritual vessel of grain), depicting offerings made at a shrine. The character meant religious ceremony, then broadened to social rites, courtesy, and gifts. The simplified form 礼 keeps 示 and replaces 豊 with the abbreviated 乚.