wǎn
a bowl of
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我有一只碗。
wǒ yǒu yī zhǐ wǎn.
I have a bowl.
碗里装着饭。
wǎn lǐ zhuāngzhe fàn.
The bowl is filled with rice.
我用碗吃饭。
wǒ yòng wǎn chī fàn.
I use a bowl to eat rice.
盏 (zhǎn)
cup
钵 (bō)
bowl
盘 (pán)
plate
碟 (dié)
saucer
The Chinese character 碗 (wǎn) for "bowl" is composed of two parts: 皿 (mǐn) and 缶 (fǒu). The left component, 皿, is a pictograph of a container, representing the general concept of a vessel. The right component, 缶, is also a pictograph, depicting a type of ancient Chinese cooking pot with a round belly and a narrow mouth. Together, the two components suggest the idea of a round, deep container used for holding and serving food, which is the meaning of 碗.The character 碗 has a long history in Chinese writing, dating back to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). It was originally used to refer to a specific type of cooking pot, but over time its meaning expanded to include bowls, cups, and other similar vessels. Today, 碗 is one of the most common Chinese characters used to refer to bowls and is an essential part of everyday vocabulary.
