Abstract:This paper explores the original meaning of the character "Zong" through its glyph, suggesting that "Zong" refers to the dwelling or place where ancestral spirits reside. Extending this viewpoint to human relationships, the clan is considered the community where ancestral spirits reside, and the descendants of the clan are the individuals who inherit and carry on ancestral spirits. As the inheritors and spokespersons of ancestral spirits, descendants of the clan have the responsibility to serve and honor the ancestral spirits. Interpreting Shangshu Jinxi reveals that in the consciousness of ancient people, descendants of the clan had the duty to serve the ailing ancestral spirits in the form of death. There is also a certain order in serving ancestral spirits. The interpersonal pattern arranged by Zhou people, driven by consideration of the placing ancestral spirits, has been continuously demystified and ethicalized by later Confucian scholars, becoming a guideline and feature of traditional Chinese society.