About
The character for kiln or pottery workshop, now primarily written as "窑", originally derived from the traditional form "窯", which visually encodes its function through its components. That earlier form combined the "穴" radical, indicating a cave or hollow, with "羔", often interpreted as representing the fire and smoke of the kiln, though some analyses also link it phonetically. This structure directly points to the subterranean or cavernous nature of early kiln constructions used for firing ceramics and bricks. Over its history, the core meaning of a structure for baking pottery or bricks remained constant, but its application broadened metaphorically to denote sites of similar industrial production, such as coal mines or lime kilns, and by extension became a term for renowned centers of porcelain manufacture. The simplified form "窑", which emerged from longstanding cursive variants, retains the essential "穴" roof but replaces the complex lower component with "缶", a jar, thereby creating a more direct pictographic representation of an earthenware vessel under a dome.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这个村子有很多窑洞。
那座旧砖窑已经废弃了。
陶瓷要在窑里高温烧制。
中国古代的瓷器名扬海外。
考古学家发现了一座汉代窑址。
这座现代气窑的温度控制非常精准。
景德镇的窑火千年不息。
他把旧厂房改造成了艺术窑工作室。