(píng) — (bound form) bottle, vase, flask

Definition

瓶 is a bound noun meaning 'bottle/vase/flask' that always combines with a word in front (花瓶, 酒瓶) or the suffix 瓶子. It is not used alone — say 瓶子 to mean 'a bottle'.

bound form
bottlevaseflask

Examples

  • Zhè ge píng zi shì bō li zuò de.
    This bottle is made of glass.
  • Tā bǎ huā chā zài huā píng lǐ.
    She arranged the flowers in a vase.
  • Bà ba mǎi le yì xiāng jiǔ píng.
    Dad bought a case of wine bottles.

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
earthenware
Sound part声符shēngfú
bìngpíng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

瓶 uses 瓦 to show an earthenware vessel and 并 for the sound. The original vessel had a long slender neck and narrow mouth.

Grammar

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