Ancient bronze vessels are decorated with the taotie monster mask.
Tips
culture
Bound to 饕餮 — a mythical beast of insatiable greed (a head with no body) and, by extension, a glutton. Its staring mask is the famous 饕餮纹 motif on Shang and Zhou bronzes. An old gloss splits the pair: greed for wealth is 饕, greed for food is 餮.
The top is the fuller traditional form of 号 (a roar / loud cry). It supplies the sound for the character and hints at a gaping, devouring maw; the standalone simplified form has far fewer strokes.
