镬 (huò) — pot; cauldron (used in cooking)

Definition

镬 (huò) is a traditional cooking vessel, larger and heavier than a typical 锅 — think cauldron or wok-like pot. Mainly seen in Cantonese and southern Chinese cooking contexts; 锅 is the everyday word for pot.

noun
potcauldron (used in cooking)
Measure word · 口

Examples

  • 镬。
    Tā yòng huò zǐ zhǔ le yì guō tāng.
    He used a pot to cook a pot of soup.
  • 镬,。
    Zhè ge huò zǐ shì tiě de, hěn nài yòng.
    This pot is made of iron and is very durable.
  • 镬。
    Bǎ cài fàng jìn huò zǐ lǐ chǎo yi chǎo.
    Put the vegetables into the pot and stir-fry them.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鑊; 镬 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
蒦
蒦huò鑊huò
Same sound today

The traditional form 鑊 pairs 金 (metal) with a sound part 蒦 (huò); the simplified 镬 is a later shorthand.

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