酒器 most often refers to the elaborate ritual bronze drinking vessels of the Shang and Zhou dynasties —
爵 (jué, tripod cup),
觚 (gū, beaker),
尊 (zūn, urn),
卣 (yǒu, hanging jar). These were status symbols and ancestral offering vessels, not just tableware. Modern
酒器 can also refer to ordinary cups, decanters, and Japanese sake sets (
酒器 sakeki uses the same Kanji).
