How to write a Qingming parcel (包袱) seal

A Qingming parcel (包袱, bao fu) is sealed with a yellow label that works like the address on an envelope: it names who the parcel is for, why it is being sent, and who is sending it. This guide shows you how to write it, column by column.

A guide from Nirvana Hall of Remembrance. Wording varies between families and dialect groups; if your family has its own way, follow it.

The layout: three columns, read right to left

The seal has three vertical columns. Each is written top to bottom, and they are read from right to left, like traditional Chinese text. The person receiving the offering always comes first, on the right; the senders come last, on the left, as a mark of respect.

1. 1Who the parcel is for. A respectful title, the person's name, an honorific, and a phrase asking them to receive it.
2. 2Why it is being sent. The occasion, written slightly larger.
3. 3Who is sending it, and when. Each sender's relationship and name, with the lunar date beneath.

Column 1: who the parcel is for

• 呈 阴府 means "presented to the netherworld" and opens every parcel.
• Title shows how the person is related to the family (see the table).
• Name. The traditional form for a man is surname, then 公, then 讳 (which introduces the given name), then the given name: 陈公讳金福. Many families simply write the full name: 陈金福.
• Honorific: 老大人 for a man, 老孺人 for a woman.
• 魂下受用 means "for your spirit to receive and use". Buddhist families often write 莲下受用 ("beneath the lotus seat").

For a mother or grandmother there are two common forms. The traditional one gives her husband's surname, then 母, then her own surname with 氏: 显妣陈母李氏老孺人 (Mrs Chen, born Li). A simpler form uses her own surname and given name: 显妣李氏讳美玲老孺人.

Column 2: why it is being sent

The middle column states the occasion and that the offering is for use in the afterlife. For Qingming the usual line is 清明节追远 冥中宝用 ("remembering at Qingming, for treasured use in the netherworld").

Some families write 冥中用度 ("for expenses in the netherworld") instead of 冥中宝用; both are correct.

Column 3: who is sending it, and when

• 阳世 means "from the world of the living".
• Relationship and name for each sender, e.g. 孝子陈大文. Several senders can share one parcel; list the eldest generation first.
• 具 means "respectfully prepared". Some families write 叩奉 or 敬奉.
• The date is the lunar (农历) date of the day you burn the parcel, e.g. 丙午年二月十八 for Qingming on 5 April 2026. For Qingming 2027, on Monday 5 April, it is 丁未年二月廿九.

Worked examples

For a father, written by hand

Chen Jin Fu (陈金福), sent by his son and grandson at Qingming 2026. Columns in writing order, right to left:

1. 呈 阴府 显考陈公讳金福老大人魂下受用
2. 清明节追远 冥中宝用
3. 阳世孝子陈大文、孙陈小明 具, with 丙午年二月十八 beneath

For a mother, written by hand

Li Mei Ling (李美玲), married into the Chen family, sent by her daughter and daughter-in-law:

1. 呈 阴府 显妣陈母李氏老孺人魂下受用 (or, in the simpler form, 显妣李氏讳美玲老孺人)
2. 清明节追远 冥中宝用
3. 阳世孝女陈美华、孝媳林秀英 具, with 丙午年二月十八 beneath

The same parcels, sent online

When you send a parcel at Nirvana Hall, the seal is written for you in the same three columns. It uses the Chinese name from your loved one's memorial page (or the full name if there is no Chinese), chooses the title from your relationship to them, and writes one sender per parcel.

A regional variation: printed seals

Many temple-supply shops sell seals with the frame already printed in red, so families only fill in the names and date in black pen. The layout differs from the handwritten style above:

• A printed header runs down the top, often 靈寶大法司, with the lunar date written beside it.
• The recipient is written beside the printed 陰府, usually lower on the right.
• The senders are written beside the printed 陽居 on the left, with 孝男 often used for sons, ending with 奉 ("offered").
• A married woman is often written with her husband's surname, then 門, then her own surname with 氏: 顯妣陳門李氏孺人.
• A large 封 ("sealed") is printed at the foot. These seals are usually written in traditional characters.

Both styles are respectful and widely used. Follow the one your family and temple use.

Tips and common mistakes

• Write top to bottom, columns right to left. Never place the senders above or to the right of the deceased.
• Use the name on the tombstone or ancestral tablet. It is the name the family has always used.
• Write in black ink. Writing a person's name in red is traditionally considered unlucky.
• One seal per recipient. Sending to both parents? Prepare a parcel for each.
• Check every character. A wrong character in the name or title is the most common mistake: 显 (honoured) and 妣 (late mother) are easy to confuse with similar-looking characters.
• Ask an elder or your temple when unsure. Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Hakka families each have their own variations.

Quick answers

How do you write a Qingming parcel (包袱, bao fu) seal?

The yellow seal has three vertical columns, written top to bottom and read right to left. The right column names who the parcel is for (呈 阴府, then title, name, honorific and 魂下受用). The middle column gives the occasion, usually 清明节追远 冥中宝用. The left column names the senders (阳世, relationship, name, then 具), with the lunar date beneath.

What title is written on the seal for a father, mother or grandparent?

For a father, 显考; for a mother, 显妣. For grandparents on the father's side, 显祖考 and 显祖妣; for great-grandparents, 显曾祖考 and 显曾祖妣. After the name, a man is given the honorific 老大人 and a woman 老孺人.

What date goes on a Qingming seal?

The lunar (农历) date of the day you burn the parcel, written beneath the senders. For Qingming on Monday 5 April 2027 it is 丁未年二月廿九; for Qingming on 5 April 2026 it was 丙午年二月十八.

What are the most common mistakes when writing a seal?

A wrong character in the name or title, placing the senders above or to the right of the deceased, and writing a name in red ink, which is traditionally considered unlucky. Write in black ink, use the name on the tombstone or ancestral tablet, and prepare one seal per recipient.

Can I send a Qingming parcel online?

Yes. At Nirvana Hall of Remembrance you choose the offerings, add your name and relationship, and the seal is written for you in the same three columns, with the correct title, honorific and lunar date. The offering then appears on your loved one's memorial page for the family to see.