鼐 (nài) · large ritual tripod cauldron (the great ding)

Meanings

1 large ritual tripod cauldron (the great ding)

Characters

鼐

nài

great ritual tripod

Examples

HSK 7-9

周代礼器中，大鼐气象最为宏伟。

Zhōudài lǐqì zhōng, dà nài qì xiàng zuì wéi hóngwěi.

Among the ritual vessels of the Zhou dynasty, the large nài tripod was the most imposing in scale.

HSK 7-9

姚鼐是清代桐城派文学的重要人物。

Yáo Nài shì Qīngdài Tóngchéngpài wénxué de zhòngyào rénwù.

Yao Nai was an important figure in the Qing-dynasty Tongcheng school of literature.

Tips

register

nài is archaic. It names the largest grade of ritual bronze cauldron (鼎) - a graded sequence in classical ritual texts runs 鼎 (regular tripod) → 鼒 (small tripod with covered ears) → 鼐 (great tripod). Outside texts on ancient bronzes and ritual studies, the character survives mainly as a personal name. The Qing scholar 姚鼐 (1731-1815) was the leading figure of the Tongcheng school of classical-prose writing - his name preserves the character in living memory.

Components

radical

鼎 dǐng

tripod cauldron

Bottom tripod radical (Kangxi #206) - a pictograph of a three-legged ritual bronze cauldron. Carries the entire semantic load: 鼐 is a kind of 鼎, specifically the largest grade. The radical family is small but historically weighty: tripods were the symbol of dynastic legitimacy, and 问鼎 (literally 'ask after the tripods') means 'to make a bid for power'.

phonetic

乃 nǎi

namely; supplying the sound

Top phonetic 乃 - supplies the sound (nǎi → nài, regular tone shift). The same phonetic anchors 奶 (milk / grandmother).