鼎
three legged kettle
Readings
On'yomi
- テイ
Kun'yomi
- かなえ
Meaning
鼎 centers on an ancient three-legged kettle or cauldron, a heavy metal vessel used for cooking and ritual. Its meaning is concrete and specific to this object.
Most common words using 鼎
- 鼎かなえ
three-legged bronze vessel (used in ancient China)
- 鼎談ていだん
tripartite talk; three-man talk
- 三つ鼎みつがなえ
three people sitting in a triangle
- 三者鼎立さんしゃていりつ
three parties (forces) opposing one another; three-cornered contest
- 火風鼎かふうてい
ding (hexagram 50 of the I Ching: the caldron)
- 鐘鼎文しょうていぶん
bronze-vessel and bell inscriptions
- 鼎の軽重を問うかなえのけいちょうをとう
to call someone's ability into question; to doubt a ruler's competence
- 鼎坐ていざ
three people sitting in a triangle
- 鼎立ていりつ
triangular position; three-cornered contest
- 鼎立戦ていりつせん
three-way contest
- 鼎革ていかく
change of dynasty
Study
Etymology
鼎 is a pictograph of an ancient three-legged bronze cauldron. The modern form retains the vessel shape with legs and handles, though stylized.
Meaning mnemonic
The top looks like handles, the middle 目 suggests the cauldron's body with a decorative eye-like pattern, and the lower strokes are the three legs. Together they form a three-legged kettle.
Reading mnemonic
For テイ, imagine a tea kettle shaped like 鼎: tea -> テイ, and the ancient cauldron steeps a giant pot of tea.