尸

Literal: Corpse or dead body.

Ritual/Administrative: To preside, or the presiding official (specifically the //shī-zhǔ//, a living person acting as the embodiment of a deceased ancestor during sacrifice).

Primarily used as a noun; in ritual contexts, it functions as a title or functional role.

Variants include U+5C4D and U+5C38, which reflect scribal habit or period-specific orthography without changing the meaning.

As a radical/component in other characters, it often serves as a generic marker for the human body (specifically sitting or reclining) rather than specifically denoting death. In cursive scripts, be careful not to confuse 尸 with 尺 (//chǐ//).

When the literal sense of "corpse" creates a semantic vacuum in texts concerning court ceremony or sacrifice, consider the role of "ritual representative" or the act of presiding.