埴 (zhí) - Clay — specifically fine, sticky clay used for & also refers to earth or soil in certain

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zhí ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

丈志

埴 · zhí

Clay — specifically fine, sticky clay used for pottery and ceramics;

also refers to earth or soil in certain contexts.

Clay — specifically fine, sticky clay used foralso refers to earth or soil in certain

Usage highlights

Pottery clayClay figurineClay vesselYellow clayRed clayClay soil

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • 沙— sand (opposite of sticky clay)
  • 石— stone (opposite of malleable clay)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Pottery clay (埴土) is used for making ceramics.
  • The potter shaped the clay (埴轮) into a vessel.
  • Ancient pottery (埴器) artifacts were discovered.
  • Clay figurines (埴轮) from the Kofun period in Japan.

Collocations

  • Pottery clay(埴土)
  • Clay figurine(埴轮)
  • Clay vessel(埴器)
  • Yellow clay(黄埴)
  • Red clay(赤埴)
  • Clay soil(埴壤)

Idioms

  • To mold clay into a vessel(抟埴为器)
  • Clay on the wheel(埴在钧)
  • The potter's clay(陶埴之工)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically important in Chinese pottery and ceramic arts dating back to Neolithic times.
  • Used in Japanese archaeology for haniwa (埴轮) clay funerary objects from the Kofun period.
  • Appears in classical texts describing the craft of pottery-making.

FAQ