瓷 (cí) · porcelain, chinaware, ceramic

Meanings

1 porcelain
2 chinaware
3 ceramic

Characters

瓷

cí

porcelain; ceramic

Examples

HSK 5

这个碗是瓷的，小心别摔碎了。

Zhège wǎn shì cí de, xiǎoxīn bié shuāisuì le.

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

HSK 7-9

景德镇是中国著名的瓷都。

Jǐngdézhèn shì Zhōngguó zhùmíng de cídū.

Jingdezhen is China's famous porcelain capital.

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.