臼 (jiù) - A mortar (for pounding grain or medicine) & a socket or hollow (as in a bone)

臼Tone 4

jiù ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 臼

傑君

臼 · jiù

A mortar (for pounding grain or medicine);

a socket or hollow (as in a bone);

shaped like a mortar.

A mortar (for pounding grain or medicine)a socket or hollow (as in a bone)shaped like a mortar.

Usage highlights

Mortar and pestleStone mortarTooth socketMortar bowlPestle and mortarMortar

Synonyms

  • 碓— stone mortar (more specific to grain processing)
  • 研钵— mortar bowl (modern term)

Antonyms

  • 杵— pestle (the complementary tool)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • They use a mortar and pestle (臼和杵) to grind herbs.
  • The tooth socket is called a dental alveolus (齿臼).
  • This is a stone mortar (石臼) for grinding spices.

Collocations

  • Mortar and pestle(臼杵)
  • Stone mortar(石臼)
  • Tooth socket(齿臼)
  • Mortar bowl(臼盂)
  • Pestle and mortar(杵臼)
  • Mortar-shaped(臼形)

Idioms

  • Fall into the same old rut(蹈常袭故, sometimes implied with 臼 as a metaphor for fixed patterns)
  • Follow the beaten track(不落窠臼, literally 'not falling into the old mortar')
  • The mortar and pestle work together(臼杵之交, metaphor for close cooperation)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 臼 is one of the oldest tools in Chinese agricultural history, used for processing grains.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, mortars are essential for preparing herbal remedies.
  • The character itself pictographically represents a mortar with grains inside.

FAQ