水缸 (shuǐ gāng) — large water container (traditionally made of ceramic or cement)

Definition

水缸 is a large standing water vat, traditionally ceramic or cement, used outdoors (e.g. in a yard) to store water. 缸 emphasizes the container itself, bigger and more fixed than a 水桶 (bucket).

noun
large water container (traditionally made of ceramic or cement)
Measure word · 口

Examples

  • 。
    Yuàn zi lǐ yǒu yí gè dà shuǐ gāng.
    There is a large water vat in the yard.
  • 水缸。
    Tā men bǎ shuǐ gāng zhuāng mǎn shuǐ zhǔn bèi tíng shuǐ.
    They filled the water vat in preparation for a water outage.
  • 水缸。
    Lǎo fáng zi de shuǐ gāng kě yǐ chǔ cún yǔ shuǐ.
    The water vat in the old house can store rainwater.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

水shuǐwater
缸gāngvat

水 is water and 缸 is a vat, together a vat for water.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

水 is a simple drawing of water flowing.

Open 水 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 缸 →

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