神主 (memorial/ancestral tablet)-related vocabulary question

[NelsonK]

Hello all,

 

I'm not entirely sure where in these forums this sort of question belongs, but I guess it might be considered a vocabulary question.

 

It has to do with what I assume must be some sort of standard pattern for text on a 神主 (at least, 莫言 includes this pattern in 神主 inscriptions in at least two of his novels).  In identifying the person whose 神主 this is, I've seen a couple of times now the text run something like this:

 

So-and-so's first wife, surname氏行凡神主. (For instance, 余公占鰲原配戴氏行凡神主)

 

It's 行 and 凡 that really have me perplexed.  I thought maybe someone who was more familiar with 神主 might be able to shed some light.  Does the 凡 express that the tablet is the "earthly" or "mundane" habitation for the departed?

 

Incidentally, I hope I haven't offended anyone by what I'm sure is an incomplete understanding of the significance of 神主.  Perhaps this belongs in one of the cultural forums after all.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

[dwq]

I think 余占鰲 is the husband's and 戴行凡 the wife's name, and the infix (as opposed to suffix) 公 and 氏 are sort-of honorifics that you only see on tombstones and 神主 in modern times.

 

[NelsonK]

Quote

I think 余占鰲 is the husband's and 戴行凡 the wife's name, and the infix (as opposed to suffix) 公 and 氏 are sort-of honorifics that you only see on tombstones and 神主 in modern times.

 

That was my first thought as well.  I was unsure, because the woman's name was given elsewhere as 戴鳳蓮.  Of course, she may well have been known under more than one name.  I felt even more unsure, however, when I came across another 神主 text that ran like this:

 

西门公闹原配夫人白氏迎春行凡神主

 

Here I see what seem to be two full names (西门闹 白迎春) with the honorifics you mention, but still at the end there is 行凡神主.  Perhaps this woman's name is also 行凡, and the 迎春 is inserted for another reason?

[dwq]

To be honest I have not looked at that many tombstones or 神主牌s so I was probably wrong about 行凡 being her name given your second example. Googling 行凡 I didn't find meaningful results so perhaps we'll need to wait for someone more knowledgeable in these matters to answer your question.