壷 (hú) - Ancient wine vessel & jar

壷Tone 2

hú ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

枫惠

壷 · hú

Ancient wine vessel;

jar;

pot;

a type of container used in ancient China for holding wine or other liquids.

Ancient wine vesseljarpot

Usage highlights

Wine vesselTea potAncient jarBronze vesselCeremonial potPottery jar

Synonyms

  • 壶— pot; kettle; vase (more common simplified form)
  • 瓶— bottle; vase; jar
  • 罐— jar; pot; tin

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The museum displayed an ancient bronze wine vessel (青铜壷).
  • She collects antique Chinese pots (古壷).
  • The ritual required a specific ceremonial jar (礼壷).
  • This character resembles a container with a lid (像带盖的容器).

Collocations

  • Wine vessel(酒壷)
  • Tea pot(茶壷)
  • Ancient jar(古壷)
  • Bronze vessel(青铜壷)
  • Ceremonial pot(礼壷)
  • Pottery jar(陶壷)

Idioms

  • As if seeing a pot from the bottom(如见壷底)
  • Pot mouth reed organ(壷口芦笙)
  • The pot's mouth is narrow(壷口狭窄)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Represents ancient Chinese bronze vessels used in rituals and daily life during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
  • The character's shape visually resembles a container with a wide body, narrow neck, and lid.
  • Such vessels were important status symbols and ritual objects in ancient Chinese society.

FAQ