盆 pén basin
basin; bowl; pot; tub; flower pot
How to remember 盆: 分 divide + 皿 dish = basin. At the family barbecue grandpa divides the potato salad from one small dish into whatever he can find, a basin.
Component breakdown
盆 = 分 divide + 皿 dish
- 分 divide
- 八 eight
- 刀 knife
- 皿 dish
At the family barbecue grandpa divides the potato salad from one small dish into whatever he can find, a basin.
How it is used
- Concrete noun for a basin/pot/tub, and doubles as its own measure word: 一盆花 (yī pén huā) "a pot of flowers", 一盆水 "a basin of water".
- 盆地 (péndì) "basin" is the standard geography term, e.g. 四川盆地 the Sichuan Basin.
- Everyday spoken word, no formal/casual split to worry about.