舂

chōng
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to pound (grain) in a mortar; to husk or crush with a pestle

Examples

HSK 7-9
Nǎinai zài shíjiù lǐ chōng mǐ.
Grandma is pounding rice in the stone mortar.
HSK 7-9
Yǒuxiē shǎoshù mínzú cūnzhài hái bǎoliú chōng cíbā de xísú.
In some ethnic villages people still pound glutinous-rice cakes.

Tips

memory
Picture two hands working a pestle down into a 臼 (a mortar): the bottom element IS the mortar, and the strokes above are the hands raising and dropping the pestle to pound grain.

Components

radical
臼 jiù
mortar
The mortar 臼 at the bottom is a literal picture of the hollowed stone bowl grain is pounded in, the heart of the character's meaning.
semantic
三 sān
three (here a graphic residue)
The top is a stylised residue of two hands gripping a pestle; it no longer maps to an independent character but conveys the pounding action over the mortar below.

Stroke Order

舂 chōng