How to Write 觥 (gōng) — Meaning “ancient horn-shaped wine vessel”

Imagine a horn-shaped cup (角) that is so polished it glows with light (光). This combines the shape and the shine: a bright horn-cup, which helps you recall that 觥 means an ancient horn-shaped wine vessel.

Write the left radical 角 first, carefully making its top hook stroke, then the right side 光. A common mistake is making 光 too narrow or forgetting the final hook stroke on the last component; keep 角 slim and 光 balanced so the character looks harmonious.

觥 (gōng) is a large horn-shaped wine vessel, while 觖 (jué) means 'to resent' and has a different right side (夬). 觚 (gū) is a different type of ancient cup, often gourd-shaped, and is simpler than the ornate 觥. Visually, 觥 contains 光 on the right, whereas 觖 has 夬 and 觚 has 瓜.

觥 is rarely used alone today; it appears mostly in literary or historical descriptions of ancient banquets. The classic phrase 觥筹交错 (gōng chóu jiāo cuò) refers to wine cups and gambling chips crossing back and forth, capturing a scene of festive drinking parties.

Common words containing 觥 include: 觥筹 (gōng chóu) — wine cups and gambling chips; 巨觥 (jù gōng) — large wine vessel; 觥羊 (gōng yáng) — large ram.