The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. Tzu (Chin., ‘ancestor’). Respect for, and sustenance of, ancestors is as central in Chinese religion as in any other. They are commemorated on plaques, before which food and offerings are left, and with which conversations are held, so that ancestors remain a part of the family.