盂 (yú) - A broad-mouthed receptacle or vessel & a basin, bowl, or pot

盂Tone 2

yú ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical:

咏与

盂 · yú

A broad-mouthed receptacle or vessel;

a basin, bowl, or pot;

also refers to a type of ancient bronze vessel.

A broad-mouthed receptacle or vessela basin, bowl, or potalso refers to a type of ancient bronze

Usage highlights

Water basinInkstone water dropperBronze vesselCeramic potSpittoonFood container

Synonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • A water basin (水盂) was used for washing hands in ancient times.
  • The inkstone and water dropper (砚盂) are essential tools for calligraphy.
  • Archaeologists unearthed a bronze vessel (青铜盂) from the Zhou dynasty.
  • He placed the flower arrangement in a ceramic pot (瓷盂).

Collocations

  • Water basin(水盂)
  • Inkstone water dropper(砚盂)
  • Bronze vessel(青铜盂)
  • Ceramic pot(瓷盂)
  • Spittoon(痰盂)
  • Food container(食盂)

Idioms

  • A square peg in a round hole(方枘圆盂)
  • Wash one's hands in a golden basin(金盆洗手 — note: uses 盆, but conceptually related)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 盂 was an important type of bronze ritual vessel used for holding food or water in ancient Chinese ceremonies, particularly during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
  • In later periods, 盂 evolved to refer to various household and scholar's objects, such as water basins for calligraphy (水盂) or spittoons (痰盂).
  • The character's structure (皿 at bottom) clearly indicates its association with vessels and containers.

FAQ