About
The character 觞 (traditional 觴) is a phono-semantic compound that denotes a traditional wine cup or goblet used in ancient banquets and ceremonies. Its semantic element is the horn radical 角 on the left, reflecting that early drinking vessels were frequently made from animal horns, while the right side gives the pronunciation "shang". It is strongly associated with the act of offering toasts, as exemplified by the phrase 流觞曲水, a classical drinking game where cups float along a winding stream. The character functions primarily in literary contexts to describe ceremonial drinking vessels.
Etymology Hide
Example Words
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.