bát sứ
Definition
- Noun:
- Porcelain bowl: A bowl, typically for serving food, made from porcelain, a fine, hard, white ceramic material. This is the most common and direct meaning.
- Blue and white porcelain bowl: Historically and specifically, it often refers to a bowl decorated with a blue cobalt oxide design on a white porcelain background, a style highly developed in China and later adopted in Vietnam.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- Bà tôi thích dùng bát sứ để ăn cơm. (My grandmother likes to use a porcelain bowl to eat rice.)
- Bộ sưu tập này có nhiều bát sứ cổ từ thời nhà Minh. (This collection has many antique blue and white porcelain bowls from the Ming dynasty.)
- Hãy cẩn thận, bát sứ rất dễ vỡ. (Be careful, porcelain bowls break easily.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "bát sứ" can be used in historical or artistic contexts to specifically denote Vietnamese or East Asian blue-and-white porcelain, which is a significant category in ceramic art history.
- Nghệ thuật làm bát sứ ở Bát Tràng có truyền thống lâu đời. (The art of making blue-and-white porcelain in Bat Trang has a long tradition.)
Variants and Related Words
- Chén sứ (n): A porcelain cup or small bowl, often used for tea or individual servings.
- Mời ông dùng trà trong chén sứ này. (Please have some tea in this porcelain cup.)
- Đồ sứ (n): Porcelain ware; a general term for items made of porcelain.
- Cửa hàng bán nhiều đồ sứ trang trí. (The shop sells a lot of decorative porcelain ware.)
Synonyms
- Porcelain bowl: The direct English equivalent.
- China bowl: "China" is another common term for porcelain.
- Ceramic bowl: A broader term, though "porcelain" specifies a finer, more vitrified type of ceramic.
Related Idioms
- Quý như bát sứ: (As precious as a porcelain bowl) Used to describe something or someone delicate, valuable, and needing careful handling.
- Đứa bé mới sinh được gia đình quý như bát sứ. (The newborn baby is cherished by the family as if it were precious porcelain.)