桶

tǒng

木 + 甬

HSK 3.0Level 4

Definitions

tǒng (noun) bucket; barrel

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 甬 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 甬

About

The character 桶 combines the wood radical 木 on the left, indicating the material, with the phonetic component 甬 on the right. This structure reflects the historical construction of cylindrical containers from wooden staves or solid blocks. The character's original meaning is a bucket, barrel, or similar vessel for holding water or other contents. Although modern versions are often made of plastic or metal, the wood radical persists as a reminder of the traditional material.

Etymology Hide

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个水桶。

Zhè shì yī gè shuǐ tǒng.

This is a water bucket.

桶里装满了水。

Tǒng lǐ zhuāng mǎn le shuǐ.

The bucket is full of water.

他提着一桶油漆。

Tā tí zhe yī tǒng yóu qī.

He is carrying a bucket of paint.

我们用桶接雨水。

Wǒ men yòng tǒng jiē yǔ shuǐ.

We use a bucket to collect rainwater.

垃圾桶需要清理了。

Lā jī tǒng xū yào qīng lǐ le.

The trash can needs to be cleaned.

这个桶的容量很大。

Zhè gè tǒng de róng liàng hěn dà.

This bucket has a large capacity.

工厂生产塑料桶。

Gōng chǎng shēng chǎn sù liào tǒng.

The factory produces plastic buckets.

他们把粮食装在桶里。

Tā men bǎ liáng shi zhuāng zài tǒng lǐ.

They store the grain in barrels.

Related Characters

Component: 木

Component: 甬

桶