瓷 (cí): porcelain

Meanings

1 porcelain
2 chinaware
3 ceramic

Characters

瓷

cí

porcelain; ceramic

Examples

景德镇是中国著名的瓷都。

Jǐng dé zhèn shì Zhōngguó zhùmíng de cí dū.

Jingdezhen is China's famous porcelain capital.

这个碗是瓷的，小心别摔碎了。

Zhège wǎn shì cí de, xiǎoxīn bié shuāi suì le.

This bowl is porcelain, be careful not to break it.

Tips

history

The English word 'china' (meaning porcelain) comes from China's historical dominance in ceramic production. The word 瓷 has been used for over a thousand years. Jingdezhen (景德镇) in Jiangxi province has been the center of Chinese porcelain production since the Han dynasty.

Components

radical

瓦 wǎ

tile; baked clay

Bottom indexing radical 瓦 — pictograph of two interlocking roof tiles. It marks 瓷 as a fired-clay product, the high-temperature cousin of ordinary 瓦. China gave porcelain its English name; the radical reminds you the craft sits in the same kiln family as roof tiles and bricks.

phonetic

次 cì

next; sequence (here phonetic)

Top 次 supplies the sound — cì drifting to cí with a tone shift. 次 originally pictured a person yawning, hence "second, secondary." In 瓷 it adds nothing semantic; same phonetic kernel appears in 资 funds, 姿 posture, 咨 to consult, 茨 thatch.