烝

Phono-semantic compound:

火 (fire, heat) — semantic component, indicating heat, steaming, vapor

丞 (chéng; assistant, to support) — phonetic component, provides sound

In oracle-bone–derived explanations, 烝 is strongly associated with:

- rising steam

- heating or cooking

- the act of warming many offerings in ancestral rites, meaning “numerous”

증성 (烝盛) — thriving, prosperous

증민 (烝民) — the masses, the people, the multitude (archaic)

증상 (烝嘗) — ancestral offerings (steamed dishes)

증천 (烝天) — lofty heaven (archaism)

증기 (烝氣) — steam (rare; usually 蒸氣 used instead)

烝 and 蒸 share close meanings, and 蒸 later replaced 烝 in common cooking-related use.

烝 is more literary, ritual, archaic, and polysemous.

In ancient ritual texts, 烝 refers to the second of the four seasonal sacrifices.

The meaning “multitude” is extremely common in 詩經 (The Classic of Poetry) and classical political texts.

Classical citations:

《詩經·大雅》 (The Book of Songs)

「天生蒸民，有物有則。」

“Heaven gave birth to the multitude of the people; wherever there are things, there are corresponding principles.”

Here 烝 = 衆, used as a phonetic loan meaning “the masses”.

《禮記》 (Book of Rites)

「烝嘗以禮。」

“The seasonal offerings were steamed and presented according to ritual.”

烝 = to steam, to cook ritual offerings.