瓢 (piáo) - gourd ladle & dipper made from a dried calabash or gourd

瓢Tone 2

piáo ｜ 16 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

瓢 · piáo

gourd ladle;

dipper made from a dried calabash or gourd;

scoop.

gourd ladledipper made from a dried calabash or gourdscoop.

Usage highlights

gourd ladlewater dipperwine ladlegourd scoopwooden dipperbamboo ladle

Synonyms

  • 勺— spoon, ladle (more general term)
  • 斗— dipper, ladle (archaic)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He drank water with a gourd ladle (瓢).
  • The monk carried a water dipper (水瓢).
  • She scooped the soup with a ladle (用瓢舀汤).
  • They shared wine from the same gourd dipper (同瓢饮酒).

Collocations

  • gourd ladle(瓢)
  • water dipper(水瓢)
  • wine ladle(酒瓢)
  • gourd scoop(葫芦瓢)
  • wooden dipper(木瓢)
  • bamboo ladle(竹瓢)

Idioms

  • One single gourd ladle(一瓢之饮)
  • Living in poverty with a simple gourd ladle(箪食瓢饮)
  • Hanging a gourd ladle on the wall(挂瓢)
  • The gourd ladle measures the sea(以瓢测海)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Traditionally made from dried calabash gourds, representing simplicity and rustic life.
  • Associated with Buddhist and Daoist monks who used it as a humble drinking vessel.
  • Symbolizes contentment with simple living, as in the idiom '箪食瓢饮' describing Confucius' disciple Yan Hui.

FAQ