yu en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /juː/
Etymology
Borrowed from Chinese 玉.
Meanings
-
(countable) An ancient Chinese wine-bucket, often having a decorative cover.
A group of slenderer yu also survive from the Shang into the early Chou period, though they are rarer than the other design […] A yu with square body in the Hakuzuru Museum is the finest of these.
1962, William Watson, Ancient Chinese Bronzes, page 34:
-
(archaic, uncountable) Jade, nephrite or jadeite.
The Yu, although of the hardness of rock crystal, is worked into an endless variety of forms […]
1818, Clarke Abel, Narrative of a Journey in the Interior of China, page 133:Another stone with which it would be interesting to compare it is the celebrated yu stone of the Chinese, which Dr. Abel, in his work on China, conjectured to be a species of nephrite […]
1826, The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and Its Dependencies:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| yu | Number=Plur | lexicographic |