甗 (yǎn) - Yan — an ancient Chinese cooking vessel with & also refers to a type of mountain with

甗Tone 3

yǎn ｜ 20 strokes ｜ radical:

妍嬿

甗 · yǎn

Yan — an ancient Chinese cooking vessel with a steamer on top and a cauldron below, used during the Shang and Zhou dynasties;

also refers to a type of mountain with a shape resembling this vessel.

Yan — an ancient Chinese cooking vessel withalso refers to a type of mountain with

Usage highlights

Bronze yanCeramic yanRitual vessel yanYanShang dynasty yanZhou dynasty yan

Synonyms

  • 甑— steamer (the upper part of the yan vessel)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Archaeologists unearthed a bronze yan (青铜甗).
  • The yan was an important ritual vessel (礼器甗).
  • This mountain is shaped like a yan (甗形山).
  • The museum displays a Western Zhou yan (西周甗).

Collocations

  • Bronze yan(青铜甗)
  • Ceramic yan(陶甗)
  • Ritual vessel yan(礼器甗)
  • Yan-shaped mountain(甗形山)
  • Shang dynasty yan(商代甗)
  • Zhou dynasty yan(周代甗)

Idioms

  • None specifically using this character in common idioms

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The yan was an important bronze ritual vessel used in ancestral worship ceremonies during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
  • It represents advanced ancient Chinese metallurgy and culinary technology with its combined cooking and steaming function.
  • The character itself is rare in modern usage but important in archaeological and historical contexts.

FAQ