Trivia

The Chinese character 歃 (shà) is an archaic word that primarily means to sip, to drink, or to smear one’s mouth.

It is rarely used alone in modern Chinese and is almost exclusively known for its role in ancient rituals to create alliances, often appearing in the idiom shà xuè wéi méng (歃血为盟).

The practice of shà xuè involved smearing the lips or sipping the blood of a sacrificed animal (or sometimes blood from the participants themselves) to seal an oath or alliance.

This act was a serious commitment, indicating that those who broke the oath would be punished by divine forces (like