樽 (zūn) · goblet, wine vessel, wine jar (classical)

Measure Word

一只樽 zhī

Meanings

1 goblet
2 wine vessel
3 wine jar (classical)

Characters

樽

zūn

goblet / wine vessel

Examples

HSK 7-9

举樽痛饮，不醉不归。

Jǔ zūn tòngyǐn, bú zuì bù guī.

Raise the goblet and drink heartily - we won't leave until we're drunk.

HSK 7-9

案上摆着一只古朴的青铜樽。

Àn shàng bǎi zhe yì zhī gǔpǔ de qīngtóng zūn.

An ancient bronze wine vessel stood on the table.

Tips

register

樽 is a classical/literary word for a wine container. In modern usage it appears mainly in poetry, historical writing, and restaurant names. The more common modern word for a bottle or jar is 瓶.

Components

radical

木 mù

tree; wood

Left-side tree radical - a pictograph of trunk, branches, and roots. Indexes 樽 in the wood family alongside 桌 table, 椅 chair, 桶 bucket. Classical 樽 named a wooden ritual wine vessel; the radical preserves that bookish wood-craft register, though modern 樽 also refers to ceramic or metal jars.

phonetic

尊 zūn

honour; revered

Right side 尊 supplies the sound directly - zūn to zūn, identical. 尊 itself originally pictured two hands offering a wine jar, so it carries strong semantic flavour too: a vessel for ceremonial honour. Adding 木 simply specifies the material. 樽 is the wooden-jar specialization of 尊.