盨 (xǔ) - Xu — an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel

盨Tone 3

xǔ ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

信嫣

盨 · xǔ

Xu — an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel type from the Western Zhou dynasty, used for holding grain offerings.

Xu — an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel

Usage highlights

Bronze xuWestern Zhou xuXu vesselGrain xuXu inscriptionRitual xu

Synonyms

  • 簋— Gui — another type of bronze food vessel, often circular
  • 簠— Fu — rectangular bronze grain vessel similar to xu

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The museum displayed a Western Zhou xu vessel (西周盨).
  • Archaeologists discovered a bronze xu in the tomb (青铜盨).
  • This xu has intricate taotie patterns (饕餮纹盨).
  • The inscription on the xu provides historical information (盨铭文).

Collocations

  • Bronze xu(青铜盨)
  • Western Zhou xu(西周盨)
  • Xu vessel(盨器)
  • Grain xu(食盨)
  • Xu inscription(盨铭)
  • Ritual xu(礼盨)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Xu vessels were used during sacrificial ceremonies in the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE).
  • They typically feature a rectangular body with a lid and were used specifically for holding grain offerings.
  • Xu vessels often bear important inscriptions that provide valuable historical information about the period.
  • They represent the sophisticated bronze casting technology and ritual practices of ancient China.

FAQ