殮

Refers specifically to the ritual act of 염(殮) — wrapping and dressing the dead in shrouds (수의) before burial.

Phono-semantic compound consisting of:

歹 (뼈앙상할 알, 나쁠 대) — semantic component, denoting death, decay, or remains.

僉 (다 첨) — phonetic component, providing the sound liǎn / ryeom.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), Xu Shen defines:

「殮，斂也。从歹僉聲。」

“殮 means to gather or prepare the dead; composed of 歹 (death) and the sound 僉.”

Here, 斂 (거둘 렴) carries the sense of “to collect, to compose the body,” hence 殮 acquired the specialized mortuary meaning “to enrobe the deceased.”

殮 (염) — to enshroud a corpse

殮衣 (염의) — burial garments; shrouds

殮具 (염구) — the implements used in enshrouding

入殮 (입렴) — to lay the corpse in the coffin after enshrouding

開殮 (개렴) — to reopen the coffin for ritual inspection

小殮 (소렴) — preliminary dressing of the body

大殮 (대렴) — final dressing and sealing of the shroud

殮殯 (렴빈) — enshrouding and lying-in-state

殮葬 (렴장) — enshrouding and burial

In the Confucian ritual system, 殮 marks one of the crucial stages of 喪禮 (상례, funeral rites).

According to the Liji (禮記·喪服小記):

「既殮而告於君。」

“After the enshrouding is completed, the fact is reported to the ruler.”

The process traditionally consisted of:

小殮 (소렴) — initial cleaning and temporary dressing of the corpse.

大殮 (대렴) — final enshrouding with the formal shroud and wrapping cloths.

In Korean traditional funerary customs, this step corresponds directly to 염(殮), performed with reverence and purity of mind before the body is placed in the 관(coffin).

The Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典) glosses 殮 as:

「殮，斂屍也。」— “To gather and wrap the corpse.”

Phonetically, the right-side component 僉 conveys the Middle Chinese ljem sound, corresponding to modern Sino-Korean 렴.

The radical 歹 (“death”) marks it among the class of characters related to death and burial, such as 殯 (빈, lying-in-state) and 殺 (살, to kill).

Thus, 殮 encapsulates both the ritual and emotional essence of farewell and purification — the final human act of care for the departed, sealing the boundary between life and death with dignity and devotion.