盂 (yú) — (bound form) basin, wide-mouthed jar or pot

Definition

A bound morph meaning a wide-mouthed basin or jar — never used alone; always part of a compound like 痰盂 (spittoon) or 水盂 (water basin).

bound form

basinwide-mouthed jar or pot

Easily confused

。
Tā bǎ tán yú ná zǒu le.
He took the spittoon away.
盂。
Shū zhuō shàng fàng zhe yí gè shuǐ yú.
There is a water basin on the desk.
盂。
Zhè ge gǔ dài qīng tóng yú fēi cháng zhēn guì.
This ancient bronze basin is very precious.

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.

于皿盂

Meaning part形符xíngfú

皿皿mǐndish; vessel

Sound part声符shēngfú

于

Same sound today

盂 combines 皿, a dish or vessel, with 于, which gives the sound; the 皿 part shows that it names a container.