What does "R.I.P." mean on the tombstone?

"R.I.P." on the tombstone means Requiescat in pace (Latin: Requiescat in pace), which is a traditional inscription originating from the Catholic Church. Peace is a homophonic sound for piece (piece, fragment). But when it becomes rest in pieces, the literal translation is to "rest" in the state of broken pieces.

"R.I.P." is a short inscription, usually in the form of the full title "Rest in peace" or an abbreviation, engraved on a tombstone as part of the inscription. "R.I.P." is commonly found in Catholic cemeteries because the phrase is derived from the Latin prayers recited at the beginning and end of funerals in the Catholic Church.

Origin of "R.I.P.":

Original Latin prayers recited at the beginning and end of funerals in the Catholic Church:

"Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescat in pace."

The corresponding Chinese prayer is:

"The souls of all believers may rest in peace by the mercy of God."

The meaning is "May his soul and the souls of all deceased believers rest in peace in the arms of the Lord."

In order to make the sentence into a rhyming couplet, the Latin prayer was shortened and inscribed on the tombstone as follows:

“Requiesce

cat in pace”

The Hebrew version of Isaiah, chapter 57, verse 2, also contains similar words. The following is Lu Zhenzhong's translation:

"...enter into peace; those who walk in integrity will rest in their eternal resting places."

This verse comes from "Isaiah The text of "The Book" was found on a tombstone in a cemetery in Beit She'arim and dates back to the first century BC. This verse talks about a righteous man who died because he could not stand the evil around him. Later, this phrase became "come and rest in peace" in the Talmud prayer, in a third-century mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic. It is still used today in traditional Jewish funerals.

Reference:

R.I.P. (a short inscription)_Baidu Encyclopedia