盞

Phono-semantic compound:

皿 (그릇 명, “dish, vessel”) — semantic element, representing containers or tableware.

戔 (해칠 잔, “to diminish, to pare away”) — phonetic element, giving the sound zhǎn and suggesting a small quantity.

Together they depict a small vessel for containing liquid, emphasizing its modest size and delicacy.

술잔 (酒盞) — wine cup

등잔 (燈盞) — oil lamp bowl

찬잔 (盞盃) — poetic pairing for cups and goblets

The word 잔 (盞) remains in active use in Korean as a native reading for “cup”, while the Sino-Korean pronunciation 잔(盞) is preserved in compound words and classical expressions.

The character 盞 carries deep symbolic significance in East Asian art, literature, and ritual life.

Symbol of Ephemeral Joy

A raised cup in poetry often signifies the fleeting nature of happiness and the transience of life — as in the expression 한 잔의 인생 (“life in a single cup”).

Poets like Li Bai (李白) and Du Fu (杜甫) frequently use 盞酒 (“a cup of wine”) as an image of momentary release from worldly burdens.

Symbol of Fellowship

Sharing a cup reflects emotional unity and friendship. The act of 對月把盞 (“raising a cup to the moon”) expresses spiritual connection even across distance.

The phrase 把盞言歡 (“to lift a cup and speak joyfully”) captures the joy of human gathering.

Religious and Ritual Use

In Buddhist contexts, 燈盞 (등잔) — the lamp-cup — symbolizes light, wisdom, and offering.

During ancestral rites and ceremonies, small cups are used to serve wine or tea as acts of reverence and remembrance.

Symbolism in poetry and tea culture:

The imagery of 盞 extends beyond the realm of wine to the refined world of tea (茶), where the vessel becomes a metaphor for tranquility, harmony, and inner clarity.

In the Chinese and Korean tea traditions, the small cup — humble yet elegant — represents simplicity (簡) and measure (節). The host and guest, through the ritual of pouring and receiving, express mutual respect and silent understanding.

In Tang and Song dynasty tea poetry, the cup (盞) often appears as a symbol of pure companionship, as in:

一盞清茗，半日閒情 — “One cup of clear tea, half a day of leisure.”

The Korean tea ceremony (다례) similarly values the stillness and balance reflected in the empty cup — an emblem of openness and receptivity.

Thus, 盞 stands as a vessel not merely of liquid, but of human emotion, serenity, and shared experience — a poetic bridge between the physical and the spiritual.