俑 (yǒng) — tomb figurine (bound form, used in compounds)

Definition

俑 (yǒng) is a bound form meaning 'tomb figurine' — it only appears in compounds like 兵马俑 or 陶俑, never alone. It always refers to clay, wooden, or other figures buried with the dead, not statues in general.

bound form
tomb figurine (bound form, used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Xī ān de bīng mǎ yǒng shì shì jiè wén míng de.
    Xi'an's terracotta warriors are world-famous.
  • 俑。
    Zhè ge bó wù guǎn lǐ yǒu hěn duō hàn dài táo yǒng.
    This museum has many Han dynasty pottery figurines.
  • 俑。
    Kǎo gǔ xué jiā fā xiàn le yì pī sòng dài mù yǒng.
    Archaeologists discovered a batch of Song dynasty wooden figurines.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénhuman
Sound part声符shēngfú
用
用yòng俑yǒng
Same sound today

俑 pairs 人, the human radical, with 用 as its sound component.

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