Definitions

tǒng (noun) bucket; barrel

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "桶" is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic component "木" (wood) and the phonetic component "甬". Its original meaning was a wooden container, specifically a bucket or pail, directly associated with the material denoted by the wood radical. Over time, the semantic scope expanded to include barrel-shaped containers made from other materials, such as metal or plastic, and it also acquired a metrological function as a unit of volume measurement, equivalent to a barrel. The character's structural composition of "木" and "甬" has been consistently employed in its standard form.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个水

Zhè shì yī gè shuǐ tǒng.

This is a water bucket.

里装满了水。

Tǒng lǐ zhuāng mǎn le shuǐ.

The bucket is full of water.

他提着一油漆。

Tā tí zhe yī tǒng yóu qī.

He is carrying a bucket of paint.

我们用接雨水。

Wǒ men yòng tǒng jiē yǔ shuǐ.

We use a bucket to collect rainwater.

垃圾需要清理了。

Lā jī tǒng xū yào qīng lǐ le.

The trash can needs to be cleaned.

这个的容量很大。

Zhè gè tǒng de róng liàng hěn dà.

This bucket has a large capacity.

工厂生产塑料

Gōng chǎng shēng chǎn sù liào tǒng.

The factory produces plastic buckets.

他们把粮食装在里。

Tā men bǎ liáng shi zhuāng zài tǒng lǐ.

They store the grain in barrels.