俑 (yǒng) - Tomb figurine, funerary statue — clay or wooden

俑Tone 3

yǒng ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical: 亻

咏与

俑 · yǒng

Tomb figurine, funerary statue — clay or wooden figures buried with the dead in ancient China, representing attendants, servants, soldiers, or animals to serve the deceased in the afterlife.

Tomb figurine, funerary statue — clay or wooden

Usage highlights

Terracotta Armytomb figurinepottery figurinewooden figurinestone figurinefigurine pit

Synonyms

  • 偶— effigy, image, puppet
  • 像— statue, image

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The museum displays a collection of Qin dynasty terracotta figures (秦俑).
  • Archaeologists discovered wooden tomb figurines (木俑) in the ancient tomb.
  • These funerary statues were meant to serve the deceased in the afterlife (俑是陪葬品).
  • The pottery figurines show detailed craftsmanship (陶俑工艺精湛).

Collocations

  • Terracotta Army(兵马俑)
  • tomb figurine(墓葬俑)
  • pottery figurine(陶俑)
  • wooden figurine(木俑)
  • stone figurine(石俑)
  • figurine pit(俑坑)

Idioms

  • Start with the first terracotta figurine(始作俑者)
  • The terracotta warriors and horses(兵马俑)
  • Figurines and carriages(俑车)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Terracotta figurines replaced human sacrifice in ancient Chinese burial practices during the Zhou dynasty.
  • The most famous examples are the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang, discovered in 1974.
  • These figurines reflect ancient Chinese beliefs about the afterlife and social hierarchy.
  • Different dynasties had distinct styles of tomb figurines in terms of material, size, and craftsmanship.

FAQ