瓷

cí

次 + 瓦

Frequency#2285

Definitions

cí (noun) porcelain; china; ceramics

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 瓦 represents the meaning and 次 represents the sound.

Semantic: 瓦 Phonetic: 次

About

The character "瓷" is a pictophonetic formation that combines the semantic radical "瓦", indicating earthenware or tile, with the phonetic component "次", which guides its pronunciation. It entered the written lexicon to denote porcelain, a refined ceramic material whose production advanced significantly in China. Its meaning has consistently remained specific to porcelain and closely related ceramic objects, without broadening to other domains. The structural composition of the character, with "次" above "瓦", has been maintained without alteration in its standard form.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个碗是瓷器。

Zhège wǎn shì cíqì.

This bowl is made of porcelain.

妈妈买了一套新瓷器。

Māma mǎile yī tào xīn cíqì.

Mom bought a new set of porcelain.

中国的瓷器非常有名。

Zhōngguó de cíqì fēicháng yǒumíng.

Chinese porcelain is very famous.

浴室里铺着白色瓷砖。

Yùshì lǐ pūzhe báisè cízhuān.

White ceramic tiles are laid in the bathroom.

她小心翼翼地擦拭着青花瓷器。

Tā xiǎoxīn yìyì de cāshìzhe qīnghuā cíqì.

She carefully wiped the blue-and-white porcelain.

考古学家发现了古代的瓷片。

Kǎogǔ xuéjiā fāxiànle gǔdài de cí piàn.

Archaeologists discovered ancient porcelain shards.

这件艺术品的原料是上好的瓷土。

Zhè jiàn yìshùpǐn de yuánliào shì shàng hǎo de cítǔ.

The raw material for this artwork is high-quality porcelain clay.

博物馆的展柜里陈列着珍贵的宋代瓷俑。

Bówùguǎn de zhǎnguì lǐ chénlièzhe zhēnguì de Sòng dài cí yǒng.

Precious porcelain figurines from the Song Dynasty are displayed in the museum's exhibition case.

Related Characters

Component: 次

Component: 瓦

瓷