妣

Specifically designates a woman who has transitioned to the status of an ancestor; refers to the mother as she exists in the ancestral shrine or on a spirit tablet. May occasionally denote a female ancestor occupying the "mother" slot within a specific lineage or sacrificial hierarchy.

Primarily used as a noun/title (static label of status) or as an attributive modifying subsequent nouns.

Distinct from 母 (mother), which is not restricted to the deceased; using 妣 for a living person would be anomalous. Frequently paired with 考 (kǎo, deceased father) in the collective term 考妣.

The glyph can carry two distinct registers: formal/ritualistic (emphasizing ancestral hierarchy and lineage continuity) or elegiac (emphasizing personal loss). Context will determine which is dominant.