盆

pén

分 + 皿

HSK 2.0Level 5

HSK 3.0Level 5

Definitions

pén (noun) basin; flower pot

pén (noun) unit of volume (approx 128 liters)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 皿 represents the meaning and 分 represents the sound.

Semantic: 皿 Phonetic: 分

About

盆 is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic component 皿 (mǐn) 'dish, vessel' and the phonetic component 分 (fēn). 皿, at the bottom, signals that the character relates to containers, bowls, and receptacles. 分 generally means 'divide' or 'separate', but here it only supplies the sound. The character originally denoted a wide, shallow basin for holding water, washing, or storing liquids. Later, its meaning broadened to include various wide-mouthed vessels made of pottery, wood, or metal, such as flower pots, bathtubs, and serving dishes, while retaining its core sense of a household container.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Spring and Autumn (771-476 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个大盆。

Zhè shì yī gè dà pén.

This is a big basin.

花盆里有一朵花。

Huāpén lǐ yǒu yī duǒ huā.

There is a flower in the flower pot.

妈妈用盆洗衣服。

Māma yòng pén xǐ yīfu.

Mom washes clothes with a basin.

这个盆地很广阔。

Zhège péndì hěn guǎngkuò.

This basin is very vast.

他把水倒在盆子里。

Tā bǎ shuǐ dào zài pénzi lǐ.

He poured water into the basin.

阳台上的花盆需要浇水。

Yángtái shàng de huāpén xūyào jiāo shuǐ.

The flower pots on the balcony need watering.

她用陶瓷盆做了一盆汤。

Tā yòng táocí pén zuò le yī pén tāng.

She made a pot of soup using a ceramic pot.

在干旱的盆地地区，水资源非常宝贵。

Zài gānhàn de péndì dìqū, shuǐ zīyuán fēicháng bǎoguì.

In arid basin regions, water resources are very precious.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 分

Component: 皿

盆