饕餮纹

饕餮紋

tāotièwén

noun

Meanings

1 taotie motif
2 zoomorphic mask design on ancient bronzes

Characters

greedy (half of taotie)

gluttonous (half of taotie)

Examples

HSK 7-9

博物馆里的很多青铜器上都有饕餮纹。

Bówùguǎn lǐ de hěnduō qīngtóngqì shàng dōu yǒu tāotièwén.

Many of the bronzes in the museum bear taotie motifs.

HSK 7-9

商代青铜器上的饕餮纹往往有一双瞪大的眼睛。

Shāngdài qīngtóngqì shàng de tāotièwén wǎngwǎng yǒu yì shuāng dèngdà de yǎnjing.

The taotie motifs on Shang bronzes often have a pair of wide, staring eyes.

Tips

history

The name was given by Song-dynasty collectors of antiquities, after a line in the 《吕氏春秋》 saying that Zhou tripods bore the 饕餮, a beast with a head but no body. Nobody knows what the Shang themselves called the design, so many archaeologists prefer the neutral 兽面纹, "beast-face motif".

Stroke Order

饕 tāo

餮 tiè

纹 wén