Spirit tablet

Spirit tablet
	Spirit tablets for ancestors in Hong Kong
Chinese name
Chinese	神主牌
Literal meaning	spirit master sign
Transcriptions
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin	shen2 zhu3 pai2
Min
- Hokkien POJ	sîn-chú-pâi
Cantonese (Yue)
- Jyutping	san4 zyu2 paai4
- Yale Romanization	sàhn jyú pàaih
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	神位
Literal meaning	spirit seat
Transcriptions
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin	shen2 wei4
Min
- Hokkien POJ	sîn-ūi
Cantonese (Yue)
- Jyutping	san4 wai6
- Yale Romanization	sàhn waih
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese	神牌
Literal meaning	spirit sign
Transcriptions
Mandarin
- Hanyu Pinyin	shen2 pai2
Min
- Hokkien POJ	sîn-pâi
Cantonese (Yue)
- Jyutping	san4 paai4
- Yale Romanization	sàhn pàaih
Korean name
Hangul	1. 위패; 2. 신위
Hanja	1. 位牌; 2. 神位
Transcriptions
- Revised; Romanization	1. wipae; 2.shinwi
Japanese name
Kanji	位牌

A spirit tablet,^[1] is a sign used to honor an ancestor or a deity. The name of the deity or past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. They originated in China and are common across the East Asian cultural sphere. Spirit tablets are commonly seen in temples, shrines, and household altars throughout China and Taiwan.^[2]

Spirit Tablet Media

A doorway spirit tablet dedicated to Tudigong in Hong Kong.
The memorial tablet for spirits in Pingtung County, Taiwan
A stone tablet of a tombstone(Name has been blurred for protection)
Memorial tablets used in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism
A Japanese spirit tablet in a Butsudan
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to emperor Lê Trang Tông
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to Võ Văn Dũng
A Vietnamese spirit tablet dedicated to ancestors in Hoian

References

↑ Li, Xiaoxiang; Fu, Chunjiang; Goh, Geraldine (2004). Origins of Chinese people and customs (Revised ed.). Singapore: Asiapac Books. p. 130. ISBN 978-981-229-384-8. ancestral tablet^{[dead link]}
↑ "Ancestors and Deities: Chinese Spirit Tablets". Museum of Anthropology. University of Missouri. Retrieved 19 September 2011.

[1] Li, Xiaoxiang; Fu, Chunjiang; Goh, Geraldine (2004). Origins of Chinese people and customs (Revised ed.). Singapore: Asiapac Books. p. 130. ISBN 978-981-229-384-8. ancestral tablet^{[dead link]}

[2] "Ancestors and Deities: Chinese Spirit Tablets". Museum of Anthropology. University of Missouri. Retrieved 19 September 2011.

[1]

[2]