How to Write 盅 (zhōng) — Meaning “small cup”

Imagine a small cup (皿) placed right in the middle (中) of a dining table. The '中' reminds you it is a small, central cup for serving drinks.

Write the top part 中 first, making it slightly narrow, then add the wider 皿 below. A common mistake is making the top 中 too tall or the bottom 皿 too small, so the character looks unbalanced – keep the 皿 broad to support the top.

盅 (zhōng) is a small cup for wine or tea, while 盂 (yú) is a larger basin or bowl for holding liquids or for washing. Visually, 盅 has 中 (middle) above 皿, whereas 盂 has 于 (at) above 皿.

盅 is used in words like 酒盅 (small wine cup) and 茶盅 (small teacup), especially for traditional Chinese liquor such as baijiu. In Chinese drinking culture, these tiny cups encourage slow sipping and are a symbol of elegance and respect during toasts.

Common words containing 盅 include: 酒盅 (jiǔ zhōng) — Small wine cup; 茶盅 (chá zhōng) — small teacup; 盅子 (zhōng zi) — small cup.