“祠堂”常见的英文表达是 ancestral hall 或 family temple。
ancestral hall:这是最为常用的表达,“ancestral”意为“祖先的”,“hall”指“大厅、厅堂”,合起来表示供奉祖先牌位、举行家族祭祀活动的场所。例如:The ancestral hall is an important place for the family to gather and pay respects to their ancestors.(祠堂是家族聚会和祭拜祖先的重要场所。)
family temple: “family”指“家庭、家族”,“temple”有“庙宇、神殿”之意,这个表达也形象地体现了祠堂作为家族祭祀和纪念场所的功能。例如:The old family temple has been standing there for centuries.(那座古老的家族祠堂已经矗立在那里好几个世纪了。)