corpse, proxy of ancestor

尸 is a pictograph depicting a person sitting with bent knees. During ancient sacrificial rituals, the living could not bear the absence of their loved ones, so a living person would sit with bent knees to represent the deceased in accepting offerings, acting as a proxy for the ancestor’s spirit, as represented by 尸. Additionally, 尸 also referred to the body of a deceased person, but this meaning was later taken over by 屍.