禮

The original form of 禮 is 豊, which must be distinguished from 豐 (pung, abundant). Shuowen Jiezi already differentiated the two. 豊 is not an abbreviation of 豐 but a separate character.

Oracle bone script (甲骨文): 豊 depicted a ritual vessel – a 豆 (ritual food container) with two pieces of 玉 (jade) placed upon it, symbolizing offerings for ancestral rites. Its original meaning was therefore a vessel used in sacrifice.

Later, the radical 示 (altar, ritual) was added to emphasize its ritual meaning, forming 禮.

Thus, 禮 came to signify ritual, ceremony, propriety.

Semantic range:

- ritual, ceremony – formal rites in religion, ancestor worship, or state ceremonies.

- propriety, etiquette – manners and proper conduct, especially Confucian 礼.

- system of social order – the broader moral and cultural system governing interactions.

It refers to the system of rites and decorum in social and religious life, as in 예도 (禮道, the way of ritual) and 예절 (禮節, etiquette).

In Korean, 례 / 예 (禮) is a fundamental character in Confucian vocabulary:

예절 (禮節) – etiquette, manners

예의 (禮儀) – courtesy, ceremonial form

예도 (禮道) – the way of propriety, Confucian ritual order

혼례 (婚禮) – wedding ceremony

장례 (葬禮) – funeral rites

In Confucianism, 禮 is one of the Five Constants (五常), alongside 仁 (benevolence), 義 (righteousness), 智 (wisdom), and 信 (faith). It represents the moral principle of proper conduct in both private and public life.

In Christian contexts, 禮 is used to render liturgy and sacrament (e.g., 洗禮 “baptism,” 聖禮 “holy sacrament”). Whereas Confucianism emphasizes 禮 as social and ethical order, Christianity reorients it toward divine worship — practices instituted by Christ that communicate grace and structure the life of the Church.

Due to the 두음 법칙 (initial sound rule), the Sino-Korean reading 례 often shifts to 예 in modern Korean (e.g., 예절 instead of 례절). However, the underlying hanja remains the same.

In Korea, names ending in -례 are considered old-fashioned, but the -예 form (due to sound change) remains common.

𡅏, 𡓾, 𡤠, 𢹿, 𣠲, 𧕬, 𨰋