1. 신주(神主) 모시듯 “As if serving ancestral tablets”

1-1. Origin

Shinju (神主) refers to the ancestral tablet of one’s forebears.

In traditional culture, these tablets had to be treated with the utmost care and reverence.

1-2. Meaning

To handle something with great sincerity, care, and precious regard.



2. 신줏단지 모시듯 “As if serving the sacred jar”

2-1. Origin

A danji is a short-necked, round-bellied jar.

In the past, people believed that spirits governed different places within the home. Among them, the highest spirit was called Seongju, the household guardian.

In an agrarian society, grain was extremely important. People placed newly harvested rice from that year into a jar and kept it inside the house.

This jar was called the Seongju jar or sacred jar (shinju danji), and it held great significance for an agricultural people.

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3. Meaning

Although 신주 모시듯 and 신줏단지 모시듯 have different origins, both share the same meaning:

to treat something as extremely precious and valuable.

4. A similar expression

애지중지(愛之重之) [aeji-jungji] — to cherish and treasure dearly.

5. Example sentences

그는 책을 신주 모시듯 조심스럽게 다루었다.

He handled the book as carefully as if it were an ancestral tablet.