甬

yǒng, tǒng

用 + 龴

Frequency#4038

Definitions

yǒng Yong River 甬江[yǒng jiāng] in Ningbo 寧波|宁波[níng bō]; short name for Ningbo

tǒng variant of 桶[tǒng], bucket; (classifier) cubic dry measure (5 pecks 五斗, approx half-liter)

yǒng path screened by walls on both sides

Etymology

Originally depicted a bell. The lower part of the character was later reanalyzed as 用. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Phonetic: 用

About

The character "甬" derives from an early pictograph depicting a bell or ceremonial vessel, which established its initial semantic field. In its contemporary form, the character is structurally composed of the component "用" surmounted by a short horizontal stroke and intersected by a central vertical line, creating a unified glyph. Its primary meaning shifted from denoting that ancient object to specifying a covered passage or tunnel, as in the compound "甬道". Furthermore, "甬" acquired a function as a geographical shorthand, most prominently for the city of Ningbo, observed in designations like "甬江". This development illustrates a semantic expansion from a concrete artifact to terms describing architectural features and place names.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

博物馆的甬道很长。

Bówùguǎn de yǒngdào hěn cháng.

The corridor in the museum is very long.

甬道的两侧是房间。

Yǒngdào de liǎng cè shì fángjiān.

Both sides of the corridor are rooms.

我们沿着甬道散步。

Wǒmen yánzhe yǒngdào sànbù.

We are walking along the corridor.

甬道连接着两个建筑。

Yǒngdào liánjiēzhe liǎng gè jiànzhù.

The corridor connects two buildings.

甬是宁波的简称。

Yǒng shì Níngbō de jiǎnchēng.

Yong is the abbreviation for Ningbo.

他从甬城来到上海工作。

Tā cóng Yǒngchéng lái dào Shànghǎi gōngzuò.

He came from Ningbo to Shanghai to work.

这条古老的甬道见证了历史。

Zhè tiáo gǔlǎo de yǒngdào jiànzhèngle lìshǐ.

This ancient corridor has witnessed history.

在甬江边上，人们喜欢散步和钓鱼。

Zài Yǒngjiāng biānshàng, rénmen xǐhuān sànbù hé diàoyú.

By the Yong River, people like to walk and fish.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 用

Component: 龴

甬