豆

荳

dòu

Definitions

dòu (noun) bean; pea

dòu (noun) sacrificial vessel

Etymology

Pictograph of a stemmed bowl. Based on the original meaning "vessel with a neck". The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

About

豆 began as a pictograph of a stemmed bowl, originally meaning "vessel with a neck" and used for ritual food offerings. Through phonetic loan, it came to denote beans and legumes, entirely replacing its original sense. Today it is the basic term for beans and bean products like tofu and soy sauce, while the ancient vessel meaning survives only in historical texts and descriptions of bronze and pottery artifacts.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我每天喝豆浆。

Wǒ měitiān hē dòujiāng.

I drink soy milk every day.

妈妈煮了红豆汤。

Māma zhǔ le hóngdòu tāng.

Mom cooked red bean soup.

弟弟不喜欢吃豆腐。

Dìdi bù xǐhuān chī dòufu.

Younger brother doesn't like to eat tofu.

我们把豆子放在锅里。

Wǒmen bǎ dòuzi fàng zài guō lǐ.

We put the beans in the pot.

因为健康，我常吃豆芽。

Yīnwèi jiànkāng, wǒ cháng chī dòuyá.

Because of health, I often eat bean sprouts.

她用豆沙做了甜点。

Tā yòng dòushā zuò le tiándiǎn.

She used bean paste to make dessert.

这些土豆是从农场买的。

Zhèxiē tǔdòu shì cóng nóngchǎng mǎi de.

These potatoes were bought from the farm.

研究表明，大豆富含蛋白质。

Yánjiū biǎomíng, dàdòu fùhán dànbáizhì.

Research shows that soybeans are rich in protein.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 豆

Example Words