樽

A vessel for wine. The semantic range covers both large-scale containers (storage jars, vats, or jugs) and small-scale serving vessels (goblets). It can also function metonymically to refer to the contents (wine) or the state of intoxication ("lush").

Primarily a noun. In condensed or poetic prose, it may stand in for the effect of the vessel's contents (intoxication).

Contrast with 尊: These are often used interchangeably as semantic variants. A preference for 樽 typically signals a focus on the physical container and its utilitarian aspect, whereas 尊 often carries ritual or honorific connotations ("venerable" or "high status").

Contextual markers for vessel type:

• Ritual/Ancestral: Often paired with 爵 (tripod wine vessel).
• High-Status Feastware: Often paired with 觥 (double-handled rhyton).
• Domestic/Utilitarian: Likely when appearing without high-ritual markers.

Semantic variant: 尊.

The translator must determine the scale of the vessel (storage vs. serving) based on the action described in the text. In descriptive contexts, this glyph is frequently associated with lacquerware (漆); if the text mentions craftsmanship or colors such as red and black, assume a lacquered vessel.